Message In A Bottle
by Annjirika
Summary: Kairi sends out a 'message in a bottle' and recieves the most unexpected answer...[SxK]
1. Cesso

_A/N: Chapter edited 2/25/05_

_z-z-z-z-z_

The blue water glittered in the morning light. The sunrise promised hope, life, and a beautiful day. Kairi smiled softly as the ocean touched her feet. "Good morning Sora. Riku." She murmured. This was her every morning. Even when it rained she'd stand out, soaked clear through, but she'd smile. Because somewhere out there she knew they heard her.

Then Selphie would come outside with an umbrella and force her to go inside, reprimanding Kairi's bad judgment. Every time. Today was different. Kairi felt it. She wouldn't act on this feeling, she'd learned not to. It had only been a little over a year since the door to Kingdom Hearts had shut. She hadn't spent as much time mourning as everyone thought she would. She knew in her heart that her friends were alive, and sure she missed them, but Sora would never break his promise to her. And once Sora came back, they'd find a way to save Riku.

She hoped.

Kairi became aware of someone behind her, but chose not to move. It was probably Wakka or Selphie. It could have been Tidus but Tidus usually respected Kairi's need for privacy during her early morning meditations. The person walked up next to her, still saying nothing. Without taking her eyes off the horizon, she could see reddish brown hair swaying in the breeze. Selphie.

Normally Sel would already have been jabbering a zillion miles an hour, but there was an odd sense of calm over her. Not just over Sel, but Kairi too. Just as the island was bathed in sunlight, it was covered in silence. Even the birds were quiet as they circled the water, looking for breakfast.

"Weird." Kairi heard the young woman next to her murmur. Kairi smiled and looked at her.

"So you noticed."

Sel smiled a little, then said "I thought I was crazy."

"What?" Kairi was unsure if she'd heard her correctly.

Selphie looked at her, green eyes glittering brightly. "This whole morning. It's strange. I thought maybe I was the only one who noticed...it's almost like the day-" She trailed off, shutting her mouth quickly.

Kairi knew what she was talking about. The day the heartless came. Kairi had been over that day in her daydreams, and in her dreams. She'd learned to live with it, not treat it as though it was their death sentence. The anniversary of that day had passed almost exactly a week ago. Kairi didn't know what she'd been expecting. Hail? Heartless? Sora. But it had been a normal Destiny Islands day, sunny, warm, clear skies, and blue waters. That was the day Kairi realized with or without her best friends, life would truly go on.

"So." Selphie chirped. And just like that the blanket was pulled off. A seagull cried loudly as it caught a fish.

"So." Kairi repeated, taking a deep breath.

"Ohmigosh Kai, I read this book last night. I like, couldn't put it down!" Her over-dramatic, overly bubbly attitude caused Kairi to laugh. "I'm serious!" Selphie dropped the 'like's and 'ohmigosh's. "It was really good. You need to read it."

"Sel you know I don't-"

"Like to read, yeah yeah. I also know you, and you'd really like this one."

Kairi knew she'd never argue her way out of it, so she resigned to listening to her friend and appreciating the morning.

z-z-z-z-z-z-z

"Ow." Selphie winced.

"Sorry." Kairi laughed, carefully brushing out an auburn tangle.

"Ow!" Selphie glared at her friend. "It _is_ attached ya know." She snapped, annoyed.

"_Sorry_!" Kairi exclaimed, hearing her friend's aggravated tone and matched it. Kairi loved Selphie's hair. It was now past her shoulders and had a deep, rich color, and it drove Kairi crazy that Sel never took care of it.

"When was the last time you brushed this stuff." Kairi asked teasingly.

Selphie scowled. "This morning thank you."

"Mmm-hmm." Kairi rolled her eyes. Her 15-year-old friend was hopeless.

"So-" Wince. "Have you read-" Wince. "That book-OW DAMN IT!" Selphie yelled as she jumped to her feet. "_Jeez_ Kai!"

Kairi laughed. "I can't help it you're tender-headed." She tossed the brush onto the bed. It was Selphie's turn to roll her eyes.

"Whatever. Still. You don't have to be so rough." She rubbed the offended area and sat back down, although a safe distances away from Kairi and the brush. "Well did you?"

"Did I what?" Kairi had totally forgotten the question.

"Read the book." Selphie said slowly and shook her head incredulously, as though she couldn't believe how slow her friend was.

"Oh!" Kairi looked over at the book on her dresser. "Nope."

"Kairiiiiii." Selphie whined. Kairi chuckled. That's why she loved Selphie; she had such a childish and funny nature.

"You just gave it to me this morning!"

"So?"

"Yeah yeah. I'll get to it okay." She rolled over and snatched up the paperback. **_Message In A Bottle_**.

"You better." Selphie grinned, then changed the subject. "So. Dinner tonight? Are we going to Providence?"

Providence was just north of Destiny Islands. It was the business area, where stores and restaurants and entertainment places reign. There were 3 islands making up Destiny Islands. Destiny Island was their home. It was where the Mayor and the original and/or descendents of the original inhabitants stayed. Kairi ended up on Destiny Island because she was taken under the wing of the mayor and his wife after her family left her there.

Then there was Providence, the biggest, where Kairi enjoyed visiting on the weekends. Then there was Kismet, a good-sized island where it was mostly houses, and a wide grassy field on one side. The only doctor's office was on Kismet.

Kairi smiled at Selphie. "You bet."

z-z-z-z-z

"Damn." Kairi sighed, looking out the window. Around four the skies started growing darker, more ominous, and as of now it was pouring. Kairi wondered what happened to the beautiful morning. Thunder rumbled in the distance. No Providence tonight.

She flopped back on her lavender comforter and hugged a decorative pillow to her chest. Faintly she wondered if Selphie or Tidus or even Wakka would come over despite, but she highly doubted it. She could always go over to one of their houses if she got too bored, but she didn't figure she would.

She found herself staring at a picture of her and Riku. Kairi was wearing a huge smile, and Riku had his eyes on her, a smirk ever present. There was a blur in the background, a red blur. Sora. He never liked his picture being taken, but always seemed to end up in every picture. A head, a hand, a leg, a blur.

Kairi realized she only had one good picture of him. It had been Kairi's 13th birthday, and they'd been sitting out by the dock talking. Someone had sneaked up behind them and snapped a picture at the perfect moment.

No one ever admitted to taking the picture, claiming innocence. To this day Kairi had no idea who took it. With a jolt she remembered she had that certain clip. She tossed the pillow aside and kneeled next to her dresser. In her underwear drawer, buried under the horrible yellow and blue protective paper, was the picture.

She sat back down on the bed, looking at it. She felt a lump in her throat and looked away; straight at the picture of her and Riku. She realized why she never put the picture of her and Sora on the wall. It brought back too many memories, memories she didn't want.

She shoved the picture back into the drawer and tried to shut it. It was jammed. Kairi muttered every obscenity she knew, knowing if anyone had been around she would have never even _'thought'_ of saying them.

With a mighty shove the drawer slammed shut, echoing in the quiet room, and causing Selphie's book and Kairi's alarm clock to fall off. With an extra 'Damn' she picked up the items. The book caught her eye. She gave a fleeting look at the window once more, mentally declared that the night was hopeless, and burrowed under her blankets to read the 'Omigosh its so good' book.

_z-z-z-z-z_

The salty ocean breeze ruffled her clothes and teased her hair. She looked down at the bottle in her hands. The bottle with the little letter to the unknown recipient.

That book had given her an idea, and the glimpse of land in the picture gave her a thrill of excitement and a very small part of hope. Providence and Kismet were behind Destiny Island, forming a triangle shape. Kairi searched once more for any sign of land on the horizon, but saw none. She looked down once more at the bottle and smiled softly. It was a nice daydream at least.

She threw the bottle as far as possible. It landed a good bit away, and began its destined journey to God knew where. Kairi shut her eyes as the first rays of the sun glided over the island, erasing the dark shadows the night had created.

Once again she smiled. "Good morning Sora." Her eyes opened. "Riku."

_z-z-z-z-z _

There will be more, and there will be more...reason. It will focus on Sora and Riku next chap. 


	2. Aegrimonia

A/N: Chapter edited 2/25/05

z-z-z-z-z

He stared blankly at the ocean, watching but not really seeing. His mind wandered, rushing through memories of the past, of the present, and of his future. He'd been in this damn world for nearly a year and a half. It couldn't have been more different from Destiny Islands. On one side there was a small village, opposite an ocean. Separating the two was a large meadow.

Sora normally hung around the ocean, reminding him of his true home, not to mention his friends. He thought of Kairi, and his promise to her. More than once he thought his promise would go unfulfilled, but he knew somehow it wouldn't be broken. After all, he _was_ the keyblade master.

Sora smirked. Keyblade master. Sounded so important, so prestigious. To Sora, being the keyblade master was a burden, a problem Sora wished he'd never been introduced to. He was positive his life would have been perfect if Kingdom Hearts hadn't ruined it all.

Thinking about this only made him angrier. He got to his feet with a heavy sigh, throwing a rock as far into the ocean as he could. It made a faint, yet satisfying splash.

"You alright?"

Sora turned to face the speaker. "I'm fine." He answered, forcing a smile. The woman nodded but gave him a look of disbelief.

"Its Kairi isn't it." She stated rather than asked. Sora rolled his eyes, secretly knowing she was pretty dead on. Myste sighed. "You'll find a way back to her. Don't worry." She sounded so sure, so reassuring that Sora almost believed her. Almost. "Better be soon, you're startin' to drive me insane." She teased, reaching over and ruffling his hair. Sora scowled at this friend and pulled out of her grasp. He knew she was just kidding.

Myste was like a sister to him, taking him in when he first arrived. She was an immature 24, half the time acting Sora's age. Orphaned at the young age of 3, the elder villagers took care of her, including Sora's grandparents.

((A/N: If Sora is now nearly 16, and lets say his parents were 30 when the heartless came, and Myste is 24. That would have made Sora's parents maybe 11 or 12 when Myste was orphaned. Confused? My math sucks, but I think that's somewhat accurate.))

Unfortunately Sora's parents never made it back after the heartless took over. Myste was the closest thing to family he had here. She was the only one he trusted to tell about Kairi. Myste was very supportive of his promise and the idea Sora could escape Meadows.

Sora was very loyal to Myste, working for villagers to help pay his stay. She worked as a waitress at the only nice restaurant around, Salt, and together they made a fairly decent living.

"Come on." Myste smiled. "I made breakfast."

Sora snorted. "_You_ made breakfast?" He asked in mock shock. Myste mimicked him quietly, rolling her eyes. The two of them walked through the meadow in silence. Sora mind drifted again, but this time it focused on Myste. He wondered how she was feeling after the night before. Myste sometimes fell into deep depressions, and tended to drink to 'solve' the problems. Many times Sora had to help her through the night, and brought cold towels during the hangover the next morning. It was their bond, she helped Sora, and Sora helped her. Last Sunday had been one of those times.

"How are you feeling...today?" He paused before saying today to make sure she caught his drift. She did.

"Better." Her voice was unnaturally soft. "Thanks." Sora nodded lightly, letting the subject drop. They were now at the village.

"Sora. Will I be seeing you today?" Mrs. Mathieu's, one of the elders that Sora ran odd jobs for, asked from her rocking chair on her porch.

Sora waved and nodded. "Same time?"

"Alright dear."

Myste's modest home was just ahead. "Only Kadae today?" Myste asked, referring to Mrs. Mathieu. Sora nodded and opened the door for his friend. He followed her in.

"Yeah. What time do you go in?" He asked in turn.

Myste glanced at her watch. "Around 10. I have to cover Etsu's shift, so it'll be nearly 9 before I get home." She sighed, grabbing two apple juices from the fridge and tossing one to Sora. He caught it easily and thanked her.

"Why are you covering for Etsu?" He asked, sitting down next to her at the table and reaching over to get the cereal box. "Nice breakfast by the way." He joked.

Myste pointedly ignored that. "She covered for me when I got sick a few weeks back, so I need to return the favor. Apparently, she's caught whatever I had." She wrinkled her nose sympathetically. "Besides Etsu's my friend. Its not like I'm covering for Xau or something." She smiled.

Sora chuckled. Xau was Myste's boss, and never hesitated to make Myste and Etsu's life miserable. What was worse, Xau's younger sister Sage was openly into Sora, but he'd tactfully rejected her. Xau never really appreciated Sora after that, and took it out on Myste.

"That reminds me. Whatshername...Xau's sister." Myste snapped her fingers, trying to jog her memory.

"Sage." Sora supplied, mouth full of cereal.

"Sage. She asked about you last night at work."

Sora raised an eyebrow and swallowed. "Did she. What was she doing at Salt?"

Myste grinned. "Xau was showing her the ropes. She's got a new job apparently. Or will be-"

"I thought there weren't any openings?" Sora interrupted, remembering his request to work there.

Myste's soft brown eyes flashed and all the spunk left her. In a flat voice she replied, "There isn't." Sora caught the hidden meaning and felt his temper flare. He bit the inside of his lip to avoid saying anything he regretted. "Anyway, she asked about you." She said shortly, getting to her feet. Sora followed her with the corner of his eyes discreetly, and he could see she was upset.

She poured her half eaten bowl of cereal down the drain and slammed the bowl into the sink. Without a word she left the kitchen and moments later Sora heard her bedroom door slam. He closed his eyes. That meant Xander, Etsu, Lynx, or worse Myste would lose their job.

Sora could imagine the loss he and Myste would suffer if it were she Xau cut. He had a tiring feeling that it _would_ be Myste 's loss. Now equally upset, he cleaned off the table, washing and rinsing out the dishes. Just as he finished, Myste bustled back into the kitchen. Her long red hair was pulled up in a black ribbon, matching her black and red uniform.

"Okay then I'm off." She said, slinging her purse over her shoulder. "See you tonight."

Sora nodded. "Yeah. See ya." With a wink and smile she was gone.

z-z-z-z-z

"It's a never ending black hole of hell." Riku decided.

"Not completely black." His partner, a small mouse named King Mickey pointed out in a calm, friendly manner, as though they were simply discussing the weather.

Riku didn't respond, running his gloved hand through his long silver hair and once again eyed the city known as Kingdom Hearts. It was strange to think this was where the heartless were born, the neon lights being so reminiscent of Traverse town. From the Door was a solid back void, leading up to the city. From where they were sitting the white Door was visible, although faintly.

Thunder rumbled above. "Not again." The King muttered, looking up. Riku figured the rain would start up, making it increasingly difficult to fight the lurking swarms of heartless. Sure enough there was a popping noise. The noises grew more frequent. Riku felt a drop of water on his cheek. Reaching inside his cloak, he pulled out the black cloth he used as a blindfold. King Mickey scolded him constantly, warning him one day this would be his downfall.

Riku couldn't exactly explain it, but the blindfold seemed to strengthen him. It forced him to rely on his hearing, touch, smell, and his senses. People can get so blinded by what they see, they tend to forget what's real. Riku smirked. Another reason he needed his hearing sharper than his eyes was the darkness. The heartless were pitch black, and at times, Kingdom Hearts was too. Those were the times Riku felt thankful for his blind practice.

"Ready?" The king asked. Riku tied the blindfold tightly and drew his keyblades.

"I'm ready." This fight wasn't quite so rough, it seemed there weren't as many creatures. Despite the slick wet ground, Riku felt sure-footed and confident. He heard a soft chattering just after slaying a large darkside. Heartless. He felt it lunge for him and spun, narrowly missing a severe injury. He escaped with a bad scratch. He inhaled sharply. He'd been scratched, cut, knocked unconscious, everything there was to be, but none of it stung like this.

Angry now, Riku killed the seemingly laughing heartless in a clean swipe. "Stupid son of a bitch." He grumbled, expertly turning and plunging a blade into the 'heart' of the heartless, killing it instantly. The small wound the demon inflicted upon his arm was still throbbing, and he had a fleeting thought that it was a little more serious than he first considered.

The battle slowed eventually until the last chattering creature was destroyed. The soft rain created puddles, soaking the bottom of Riku's pants and cloak. He pulled off the blindfold and let the keyblades fade. Sure enough the scratch was black as night, deep, and bleeding freely. He must not have dodged very well. "Curaga." He muttered. A soft green light fell round him and the bleeding stop. It left a deep black gash; he was scarred. "Your Majesty? Are you okay?" He called, still inspecting his arm.

"Riku." The king's voice was so quiet, so serious that Riku instantly tensed. Was he hurt? He saw the mouse staring at the Door.

"What is it your Maj-" Riku's mouth dropped. The door was open. Before he could move or say anything else he heard a soft sort of whispering. His mind told him it was a joke. Some...some sort of heartless tricking them. But how? He and King Mickey were the only ones here. Then he figured it was just his mind. He was going crazy. That was it. He was simply going nuts. That's when Mickey turned and looked behind him. He had heard it too.

"What is that?" He asked quietly. Riku looked around the dark damp area. His eyes fell upon a girl, he couldn't see her face but he knew she was the one whispering. Suddenly she looked Riku straight in the eyes. The popping sound was back, louder than ever. "Heartless!" Mickey yelled. Riku felt confused. The heartless attacks were never this close together, there was another human in the City, and the Door was open.

Was.

"It's closing!" Riku yelled suddenly. The King glanced at it and shouted for Riku to follow him. He did, sprinting after his partner through the void toward the Door. The girl's face flashed in his mind. His blood ran cold.

"No time!" Mickey yelled, knowing exactly why Riku stopped running. He paused a split second, mulling over the consequences. If he went back, he might not be able to get through. And it would be his only chance at getting home. If he didn't go back and just left her there, could he live with the guilt? The girl couldn't have been more than 14 or 15 after all. His age when he first showed up.

His mind was made up. He sprinted back, pushing himself to go faster. His life depended on it. The heartless shrieked and tried to attack him but he dodged, ignoring the creatures and focusing on the girl. She held out her arms to stop him but he grabbed her anyway and slung her over his shoulder like a wet towel. She protested but he ignored her. The door was going to close any minute. He could see the King calling for him to hurry. He was so close...

Sliding on the solid wet floor he slipped through, promptly dropping the girl. The door clicked shut, with his cloak shut inside. He paused, making sure he had all of his limbs before leaning against the door heavily, panting.

"Take off the cloak." King Mickey said finally. Riku obeyed, and it hung suspended from its prison. He shuddered, wondering if it could have been him suspended from the Door.

It was then he noticed the girl. She was still on the floor where he had dropped her, but now she was staring at him.  
"Who are you?" Riku asked, his voice firmer than he really meant it to be. She still gazed at him, sea green eyes never blinking.

"You shouldn't have done that." She said quietly. Her gaze was so firm, Riku felt himself grow uncomfortable. The question wasn't 'Who was she' as much as 'WHAT was she'.

"Who are you." He said again, his voice matching her cold look. Her eyes drifted from his and found King Mickey.

"My name." She mumbled. "Kei. That's my name."

"And what did you mean, I shouldn't have done that." He continued, intrigued by this stranger. He didn't trust her as far as he could throw her. Maybe he should have just left her in there...

Kei ignored him, looking around the cave. He tried again, but louder this time. She still pretended not to hear him. Suddenly she looked at him. "Where are we." Her voice was different, her words slurred together.

"She's deaf." He realized. Mickey, who had not said another word, looked at Kei.

"That would explain it." He nodded. Kei must have read his lips because she smiled and kept her eyes intent on Riku. She looked much older than Riku first figured. "We are..." Riku began slowly, then recognized where he was. The Secret Place. "Home." He finished quietly. "Kairi."

"No Riku. Not yet." The King said suddenly.

"Why?"

"The Door has opened. The barriers separating worlds are down. Heartless may soon take over again." His Majesty mused, looking around.

"What does that have to do with Kairi?" He demanded, growing angry. He hadn't seen his friend in what felt like years, and now that he had the chance he wasn't allowed to?

"Please Riku. Just trust me. It'll be better this way."

"Your Majesty I'm sure-"

"Riku it could throw everything off. It could disrupt the worlds. If anyone finds out..." His words hit Riku where it hurt. He'd already caused so much damage.

"Fine." He muttered, lowering his head.

"I am sorry." The King added in a slightly gentler tone. Riku just nodded.

"You are hurt." Kei said, her words indistinct. Before he could react he felt a hand just above the black scratch. "That shouldn't have happened either." She said as she studied it.

Riku's gut twisted. This girl was seriously disturbed. "Yeah well a lot of things shouldn't have happened alright." He snapped, but she didn't hear him because her eyes were still on the scratch.

There was a voice outside the cave. Riku listened more carefully.

"Nothing." The voice said. Then there was a pause. "No Selphie I'm fine!"

It was Kairi.

"Hide." Mickey ordered, falling back into the shadows. Riku would have done the same if he didn't remember the cloak.

Without so much as a warning he jerked away from Kei, momentarily setting her off balance. Gripping the cloak tightly, he jerked. It didn't budge. "C'mon." He growled, setting his foot against the wall and pulling. There were footsteps. She was coming. With a powerful yank it came loose, and he stumbled back. The part that had been caught inside was shredded, no doubt by angry heartless. Riku grabbed hold of Kei and pulled her back into a corner. He could feel her questions and carefully put his hand over her mouth. She got still.

Seconds later, Kairi appeared.

z-z-z-z-z

Sora spent a lot of time in The Secret Place. Sometimes he'd spend hours upon hours in here, not speaking, not moving, just sitting. It was strange because Sora was always so active. Kairi never understood it, until she herself had morning meditations by the ocean.

It was strangely soothing, being alone. She felt safe in her thoughts. Existing only in her mind. She sighed and sank slowly to the cold hard floor. The ocean created ripples of light on the walls, and the sound of crashing waves echoed around the small cave.

Nearly a month ago, on the anniversary of the day the heartless arrived, Kairi had been secretly praying Riku would come home. He would be 17 exactly a week from tomorrow. Kairi wished to whatever would listen that he would be home for his birthday. But that wish was about as possible as the bottle she'd sent out 3 weeks ago coming back. She heard something and turned. Nothing was there. She was just being paranoid again.

With a small smile she glanced at the door. "Where are you?" She asked, speaking as though Riku himself were standing right there. "Why can't you come back?" Her voice caught. No. She wouldn't cry anymore. Tears didn't solve anything. She turned on her heels and hurried out of the memory- filled cave.

Something whispered her name. She paused, looking around cautiously. "Wakka? Tidus is that you?" She called. "Selphie if this is a joke..." She faded out, noticing how suspicious she was getting. Kairi let out the breath she was holding and shook her head. Nothing was there.

Back outside in the sunshine, she felt the fear and worry leave her, replaced with strength. Blaming the whisper on her over-active imagination, she sat on the smooth rocks next to the waterfall. She lowered her hands into the cool fresh water. It felt nice to let go. Existing only in her mind.

z-z-z-z-z

"Hey Sora." Myste waved when she saw him. He waved back. Myste flipped the rag over rag and continued wiping the countertop. The place was quiet and it seemed they were the only ones here.

"Slow night?" Sora asked, taking a seat at the bar. Myste looked up and around.

"Oh. I guess so." She murmured, going back to work. Sora narrowed his eyes. Something was going on.

"Hey uh, Myste. Something...everything okay? You don't seem like yourself." He asked carefully. If anything WAS the matter he didn't want to set off a depression/drinking binge.

Myste continued to scrub, but Sora noticed her pace became a little faster. He began to wonder if she realized the counter was spotless. "I'm fine Sor, just a little tired is all. It's been a long night." She straightened, gazing at the counter. "Looks clean." She smiled, looking more like her old self. "Lets get outta here eh?" Myste started to undo her nametag. "Sage I'm going home. Don't forget to lock up." She called and Sora snapped to attention. Sage.

Her voice drifted back. "Alright see you tom-" There was a loud shatter and a curse. The curse came from Myste.

"She dropped another damn dish." She grumbled, tossing the nametag onto the recently cleaned counter and hurrying back to the kitchen. Sora followed hoping he could help.

Sure enough Sage was there, leaning over a broken dish. She glanced up , her heavy blue eyes filled with tears. "I'm sorry. There was a...something ran across the." She tried to explain. She still hadn't caught sight of Sora. He saw Myste's eyes soften.

"Just go home. I'll clean it up." She said, leaning down to pick up the shattered pieces.

Sage continued to mumble. "I'd seen one before."

"What was it?"

"A rat?" Sora spoke up. Sage jumped.

"Sora!" She gasped. "I didn't see you."

"Was it a rat?" Sora asked again.

She shook her head slowly. "No. I'd seen one before though. I don't know what it was." She shrugged and lowered her head, causing her blonde hair to fall in front of her face. Myste had finished picking up the shards of glass and was now watching Sage.

Sora could feel the tension as they all grew quiet. The silence was almost deafening, seemingly sucking the air out of the room and choking them. Finally Myste shook her head and Sora breathed deep. He hadn't known he was holding his breath.

"I'll lock up. Goodnight Sage." Myste said and Sage nodded, bowing her head as she walked past Sora. He couldn't see her expression but he saw she was shaking terribly. Sora didn't know what took over him as he put his hand out to stop her.

She paused, staying with her face hidden. "You alright?" He asked, his voice a little more pleasant than he would have liked. Sage looked up at him in surprise.

"Yeah." She mumbled. And Sora let her go.

_z-z-z-z-z_

TBC

A/N: Now. I know what you are thinking. Mary Sues galore, but that is SOOO not the case. Sora has no romantic feelings for Sage or Myste, at all. I really like the relationship I've created between Myste and Sora. I tried to convey it as a brother-sister sort of relationship but I don't know how it turned out.

There will be no relationship between Riku and Kei. I promise. Kei does play a big role, and the whole door-opening thing plays a huge role. There were a few hints in the chapter I'm not sure if anyone will catch.. And I'm sorry if people thought this would be a fluff story. It WILL kinda sorta have a plotish thing.

THANK YOU ALL MY REVIEWER PEEPS! THANK YOU!

Shady Jane - Here's the next one for ya!

Juzlovinsora (Kairi) - The first chapter took place almost exactly a year after. That's why she was talking about the one-year anniversary of the day the heartless came. This chapter is a bit more confusing. It takes place about a month after the anniversary and three weeks after she threw the bottle.make sense? I SORRY!

SilverTwilight - THANK YOU! I love ur name by the way. It's so pretty.

Katrina-chan- I'm glad u like it! Thanks for reviewing.

Vixettaremix- I know it wasn't very long, I hope I made up for it in this one. I feel like this is a LONG chapter. Longer than I've written anyway. 11 pages! Anyway, I hope I can keep writing like ' the real kairi' its so hard to keep them in character. I can't do it most of the time. I'm not a big fan of R/S or A/R either. Now R/K is alright if its done correctly. I can't seem to do it correctly. XD

Black-Rose72- THANKS! I'll hurry with the next one.

Forever-animetriss- LOL thanks for the review!

Moonflow Kairi - Sorry it's taken me a while to update. OO stupid school!

Loki- Thanks for the review! I hope I don't disappoint you. Or anyone for that matter. XD 


	3. Charta

_A/N: Chapter edited 2/26/05_

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

The ocean was calmer tonight, eerily still. It was warm, and the air was salty and breezy, every once in a while bringing smells of Salt's food. Sora shifted, pulling up his knee and resting his arm on it. The moon was full and cast a silvery shadow over everything.

He glanced at the moon and wondered where Kairi was. He wondered if she was looking at the moon, or possibly the sun. He hadn't been able to figure out how different worlds worked out its day and night cycles. Certain worlds like Traverse Town didn't have a cycle, eternal night.

Thoughts of Riku snaked into his mind. Was he back? And if he was, did he and Kairi have a relationship? Guilt showed itself from the dark corners of his stomach. If his best friend was lucky enough to be on the Islands, Sora should have felt grateful. Secretly Sora wished he could have gotten back first.

"Selfish." Sora growled to himself, disgusted. He started to stand but something in the water caught his eye. A flash of light. Something was floating towards him. Without stopping to think about his clothes or any sickness he could catch, he waded into the water. It was colder than he expected and he shivered.

It was a bottle of some sort. He grabbed it and waded back toward shore. Upon closer inspection it had something in it. Sora unscrewed the lid, fumbling with the slippery glass for a second, and pushed two fingers in to pull it out. The paper was stubborn and refused to comply. Sora pushed his fingers as far as they would go, touching the tip of the note but not successfully freeing it.

"Aw damn it." He growled as he tried to pull his hand free. It was stuck. "C'mon." A gust of wind blew past, rustling the grass behind him. He briefly wondered if it was laughing at him. He carefully put the bottle into the water, hoping to loosen its grip. Nothing.

With a groan of frustration, he sank back down onto the sand, lifting his hand and staring at the glass. He chuckled, picturing what he must have looked like, fighting with a inanimate object. The wind blew again, the shaking leaves on the trees catching his eye. There. Without thinking about the risk of cutting his hand open, Sora got up and aimed the bottle at the tree. It shattered instantly.

"Ow." He muttered, pulling off the jagged bottleneck and tossing it to the ground. Picking up the pieces was the last thing on his mind. The pink stationary lay in the middle of the shimmering mess unscathed. As Sora picked it up he couldn't help but think it was familiar.

He unrolled the paper and sank down once again into the sand. Despite the bright night, he could just barely make out the large, bubbly handwriting. He knew _that_ was familiar. He rearranged himself until he found the perfect sliver of light and sat perfectly still. The letter was only about a page long, but that was all it took to catch Sora's full attention.

_Dear Reader,_

I'll start out introducing myself. My name is Kairi and I'm 16. I live on Destiny Islands, Destiny being my home. I suppose you are from Providence or Kismet. Anyway, I wrote this letter after reading a book. It gave me the idea, and well, I guess since you are reading this, it worked.

I have a strange question for you. I want whoever reads this to look for someone for me. All you have to do is ask around, or maybe you know him. My friend disappeared about a year ago, and I have no idea where he is. Its pretty ridiculous to think he could be where you are, but I'm getting desperate to know if he is alright.

His name is Sora.

Sora stopped reading, just staring at the names. Kairi...Sora. Was it really her? It couldn't be her. It wasn't possible...was it? He forced himself to continue.

_Pretty stupid huh? I'll admit I'm a bit of a dreamer. But in the off chance you do meet up with him or know someone who knows him, let him know I'm still waiting for him._

I'd still love for you to write me back, though I'm not sure how long it will take to get back. We'll have to find a faster way of messaging.

Kairi.

Sora sat staring at the letter, grinning stupidly. There was no arguing this was Kairi's handwriting, or that this was the stationary Selphie had gotten her for her 14th birthday. It even sounded like something Kairi would write. It was her.

Numbly, he folded the paper and stuck it in his pocket and got to his feet. His pants and lower shirt were stiff from air-drying, and sand had permanently glued itself to the seat of them. He laughed. It felt strange to him, laughing. It had been so long since he actually had a reason to laugh.

Kairi was just across the ocean. All this time she'd been so close...

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

"Sora what in the world - " Myste leapt out of the chair when Sora burst through the door. She paused when she saw his face. He was smiling, that bright, cheesy grin she'd only seen a few times. She knew it was something special. She couldn't help but smile; it was catching. "What is it?" She asked. Sora's grin grew wider as he locked the door. Almost in a paranoid state Sora checked the house, Myste figured to see if we were alone. "Sora we're alone-" She started.

"Myste." He interrupted. His tense voice held back so much excitement it made Myste kind of nervous.

It was then that she noticed the pink paper he was folding and unfolding anxiously. "Have you been drinking coffee?" She pretended to scold him. Her joking manner dropped quickly. "You're bleeding!" She exclaimed, crossing the room and grabbing his hand.

Uninterested, Sora looked at the blood running down the back of his hand. He must have gotten it when he crushed the bottle. "Oh." He said. "Well it's clotting now." He said carelessly, pushing the paper into Myste's hands and pulling away.

She kept an eye on Sora, but allowed herself to read the note. As she read Sora sat down. Just as quickly he jumped to his feet and began to pace. He was so close. All he needed was a boat. He could start off across the ocean, sailing until he found home. Faintly, he wondered what might have happened if he, Riku, and Kairi had set off on their raft that day. Would they have stumbled across Meadows? Would they still all be together?

"Oh wow Sor." Myste murmured, putting her hand over her mouth. "You found this? Is she here?"

Sora shook his head. "I don't think so, I found it in the ocean." Both he and Myste sat on the couch at the same time, Myste still smiling at the letter.

"Well she sounds like she wants to find you." She pointed out, her eyes glittering with a sarcastic mischievousness. "When are you leaving?"

Sora paused. He hadn't thought that far ahead. His hesitation didn't go unnoticed by Myste.

"You are still going to find her right?" She added, tone a little more serious.

Sora didn't answer. Of course he would go find her. He promised he would. But fear crept into his mind, poisoning his thoughts. What if it was a joke? No, no one knew about it. Only Myste, and she would never do that.

What if she wasn't the same Kairi. _'That's ridiculous_.' He thought. _'After all, she did ask for you_.'

Sora shook his head free of those nagging doubts and focused on Myste's curious eyes. "Yeah. Yeah I'm going to find her."

_z-z-z-z-z_

"And now, pray tell, what do you propose we do." Riku asked, crossing his arms over his chest as a smug and defiant gesture. The King paid no attention to Riku's tone.

"I don't believe you have a gummy ship lying around do you?" He instead asked, gazing at the dark, starry sky. Riku looked up too. Everyone on the Islands slept. All but Riku, Mickey, and Kei.

"Of course not." He replied. "And if we did, how do you think we'd get off the Island without anyone hearing or seeing?" Riku was enjoying his being right very much.

King Mickey closed his eyes. "Riku." He sighed. "I know you want to see your friends. I'm sorry. I need you to wait. If we can't find a way off the islands, then you can speak with them. Right now, there could be heartless lurking. The door was only open a few minutes, but who knows how many heartless escaped. They can multiply just as quickly. All they need are a few hearts..."

"But what does that do with my seeing Kairi?" Riku asked. He knew he was acting childish but he didn't understand. "Or the others." He added quickly as the King smiled. "I mean, shouldn't we warn them if the heartless are loose? Especially Kairi-"

"The barriers are still up." A soft voice said from behind them. Riku looked over his shoulder. Kei. She'd been silent the entire time, probably because she was deaf and couldn't hear Riku and Mickey's hushed conversations.

Riku rolled his eyes and coughed lightly. "Of course." He whispered, looking back out at the ocean. The King took interest in her words and asked slowly,

"What do you mean?"

She paused, staring at the King for a moment. Riku figured she was processing his question. "I mean I know the barriers are down. The Door was opened for a reason. It was only that instance that knocked them down. It allowed the escaped heartless to travel to other worlds. The second the Door closed the shields separating the worlds went back up."

"How do you know all this?" Riku asked, but she didn't hear him.

"How did the Door open Kei?" Mickey asked, keeping his eyes locked on hers. Riku went back to looking at the ocean. Even through the darkness he could see it was still just as beautiful. He felt glad to be back and out of Kingdom Hearts.

"I opened it." Kei answered quietly. Riku looked at the girl in shock. King Mickey kept his cool.

"How did you open it?" Even King Mickey knew he might have been pushing for too much information.

"I had help. That's all you need to know." There was a note of finality in her voice that surprised Riku. Kei seemed like a very soft-spoken, weird child. Then she seemed to be older, strong, and mean.

To add to Riku's bewilderment, King Mickey just nodded and said "Then I suppose we're stuck here."

"What!" Riku exploded, then lowered his voice. He didn't want to wake anyone. "You believe her?"

King Mickey gave Riku a long hard stare before replying. "This girl is telling the truth. I suggest you drop the subject quickly." Riku nodded, ashamed. King Mickey was a very fair and kind person, but when he was serious he meant it.

"So then I can talk to the others?"

"I suppose it can't hurt us now."

Riku smirked, looking out at the ocean. The morning would come soon. He would see them then.

_z-z-z-z-z _

_  
I know this is shamefully short! I'm very sorry. _

_  
DaggerQuill - THANKS FOR REVIEWING! I'm glad you liked the Sora/Myste thing cause I wasn't sure if I'd done it right. -_

Review! Please?

Oh yeah. Friggin disclaimer. If you have to see a disclaimer to know that I don't own anything but Kei and Myste and Sage and Xau and the other Ocs, well you just delight in my misery don't you. I don't even have the chapter names. I stole the idea from Firefly Rebirth and her story Fatalis. The chapter names are in Latin.and if you want to know what they say look them up. Muwhahaha! Actually just ask and I'll tell ya.


	4. Limen

_A/N: Congratulations to the Kingdom Hearts section of 100 pages and still growing! I remember when it was a tiny 44 pages. Lots of Riku and Kairi POV in this chap..._

Chapter edited 2/26/05

z-z-z-z-z-z

**_Hmm. That's strange. I don't remember there getting up. It's still dark outside..._** _I continued to walk down the beach despite my confusing thoughts, staring up at the star-studded sky. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a star go out. I stopped cold. No. That didn't just happen. I didn't just see that._

It happened again...and again. No. NO. It wouldn't happen again. It couldn't! I began to run. I had to warn Selphie. I tripped over something and hit the sand, hard. My shoulder ached, letting me know it didn't appreciate my fall. Damn it. I glanced at what tripped me.

No. No please God anything but that. Selphie. No. Please. "Wake up. Wake up Sel." I crawled over to her, shaking her shoulder. She was freezing. I saw the hole in her chest, deep and black, gaping at me like a twisted smile. No. Nonononono!

Tidus. I had to warn him. And Wakka. Please please don't let them get to him first. I wasn't looking where I was going and hit something else, this time catching my balance before I fell. Afraid to look down, I closed my eyes. Please don't let it be Tidus...I opened my eyes.

I heard an empty, strangled sound causing me to jump. It was then I realized I had made the noise. It was Wakka...and Tidus was next to him, his weapon still clutched tightly in his hand. Both of them had the same cavernous hole where their hearts used to be.

I looked around the island hopelessly, desperate to find help. This couldn't be happening, not again. There was another person lying on his back, hidden by the darkness. This is...impossible. Numbly, I stumbled over to the body. The once starry sky was beginning to cloud over, and thunder rumbled ominously in the distance.

It's too fast. It's all too fast. This cant be happening again. No. Not Sora. Please. I begged silently, tears forming in my eyes. I knew it was useless. I would recognize him anywhere. He was the Keyblade master...he couldn't die!

"Stop this! STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" She screamed, but the words were drown out by a loud clap of thunder. It was useless. They were dead. "I have to fix it. I have to fix it." I began to repeat, getting to my feet. What was this feeling? I...I couldn't see. I can't feel anything. Why can't I hear anything?

The ground tilted, rising up to meet me. I raised my head. I had fallen again? When? To my right I heard a soft chattering noise. I remembered that noise. Heartless. Its yellow eyes peered unblinkingly at me, bouncing around excitedly.

Foul creatures. Despicable fiends. Beasts of hell. I damned the heartless for all eternity in my mind, but it was useless. I suppose darkness will prevail...I'm sorry Sora.

Kairi jerked awake, breathing heavily. Sunlight gently wafted through her window, spilling across the foot of her bed. She closed her eyes, trying to steady her breathing. A dream. It was all a dream. But it was so real; lightly she touched her shoulder. It wasn't sore at all. It was all her imagination.

Her heartbeat was slowly dropping from a heart attack level to a terrified pace. Kairi untangled herself from the sheets with trembling hands and shakily got to her feet. It was only a dream. Get a hold of yourself. She scolded her mind. Still, even in a dream she didn't understand how she gave up so easily. Darkness would prevail? That didn't sound like Kairi at all.

She grabbed her brush off her dresser and began to run it through her hair, all the while staring at her reflection in the mirror. Her eyes were dark with blackish blue circles underneath. And she was pale, deathly pale. As pale as Selphie had been. Stop it. She slammed the brush down, making a loud thud in the silent house. They were fine. All of them. She just had too many pieces of pizza the night before. That was all.

She changed out of her nightclothes and put on a pair of shorts and a light blue tank top. The day had begun. She was late. After slipping on her flip- flops, she opened her bedroom door. The entire hallway was dark. Kairi's heart rate picked up again. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea.

She closed the door quickly, feeling jumpy. Crossing over to the window and pulling it up, she lifted a leg and put it through, steadying her footing on the trellis. She was skilled at this. She'd had many years of practice back before the heartless came. Riku and Sora would come by, throwing rocks at her window. Kairi would sneak out and follow them up to Paopu Island where they would sit and talk until the mayor came and got her.

The mayor and his wife always knew Kairi did it but for whatever reason, they never mentioned it. But that had been years ago. Kairi hadn't done it in a long time, and it showed as she clumsily climbed down. When she was a decent distance away from the ground she dropped, landing on her feet. With a self-satisfied smile she wiped her hands across her thigh.

Now that her wall climbing was over with, she could go barefoot. She left the white sandals in the bushes.

The island was just as pretty as usual, no bodies lying around, no heartless, no storm clouds. The sand sank beneath her feet, warm on the surface and cool underneath. Once she stopped by the ocean's edge, she found herself having to constantly move to keep her feet from freezing.

Her normal meditation was interrupted by images from her dream and her constant having to shift in the sand. She sighed, rubbing her forehead. She was so tired. Maybe she would just go to sleep here in the warm sun.

"Morning Sora. G'morning Riku." She murmured as she sank down to the sand. It was soft and inviting. She felt safe. Then she closed her eyes. Terrible pictures filled her mind, Selphie's pale face, Tidus's lifeless hand clutched around his weapon, the hole in Sora's chest. Sora.

She opened her eyes quickly. Birds flew overhead, squawking loudly. She suddenly felt guilty. What about Riku? Riku wasn't in her dream; surely she didn't forget him. Of course not. She scolded herself. She simply knew Riku was safe so she didn't worry about him. Yeah. That was it.

She still felt horrible about the whole ordeal. Tears stung the back of her eyes but Kairi forced them back, staring at a dark brown grain of sand until the feeling passed. Crying did no good whatsoever. She looked up at the ocean; confident she'd succeeded over her emotions. It didn't work. The water fell from her eyes unexpectedly. The pace quickened as she realized she couldn't stop. Damn it. Damn damn damn damn.

_Weak. You're so weak Kairi._ She couldn't help but think. This caused the tears to fall faster. She hated being so hard on herself, but it was the only way she felt she could control her life. If there was such a thing as destiny, as fate, then what did it matter if Kairi left or stayed? It was all predetermined.

Finally she pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in them. If she was going to cry, she might as well hide it. Momentarily she hoped no one would try and disturb her today. Especially today. A long while later she became aware of someone watching her. She looked up, her eyes swollen from crying. The person was behind her.

"So." She sniffled, her voice hoarse from crying. "Is it Selphie today? Or Wakka? Or." She trailed off. She heard a deep chuckle.

"None of the above."

Kairi smiled. "Hi Tidus." She greeted, glancing over her shoulder. ((A/N: Hah! You thought it was gonna be Riku! Muwha just admit it.))

"Hey Kai." He sat down next to her, propping his arm on her shoulder. "G'mornin'." He smiled. "So. You wanna do this the hard way or the easy way? What's bothering you?"

Kairi glanced at him then back at the ocean. "Nothing. Really."

"Uh huh." Tidus shifted. "The hard way is it? For as long as you have known me, have I ever _not_ been able to tell when you were upset?"

Kairi couldn't help but laugh. "No." She admitted.

"Exactly. I know these things. Just spill, you'll feel better. Or maybe you should just scream really loud! That always helps me!" He grinned, reminding Kairi of the 14-year-old Tidus he used to be.

"I don't feel like screaming…but how do you know these things?" She asked, purposefully dragging out the conversation.

He sighed and looked out at the water. "Partly because I have a gift." He turned his eyes on his friend. "And partly because you've been crying most of the morning." Kairi looked at him in surprise and he laughed. "I've been up by the waterfall since sunup." He jerked his thumb in the Secret Place's direction.

"Oh. I didn't see you." Kairi murmured, looking down at her nails. They were bitten down to the quick, a nervous habit.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, until Tidus asked her what was wrong again. Kairi sighed and pulled away, getting to her feet. "Nothing. But really, you've brightened my day." She held out her hands and Tidus took them. "Thanks."

"Not a problem." He said as Kairi tried to tug him to his feet. He stayed seated, grinning up at her. Kairi bit her lip, but smiled in spite of herself. She tried to pull him up again but he wouldn't budge.

"Tiiiidus!" Kairi whined.

"Kaiiiiiri." He mimicked, allowing her to pull him up. They dropped hands. "Alright then. I'm around if you wanna talk." Tidus let her know as he ruffled her hair.

Kairi rolled her eyes and smoothed her red locks. "Yeah yeah. Get outta here." She pushed him off playfully.

"See ya." He waved and headed back toward the waterfall. Kairi glanced back out at the ocean, feeling much better. The dream was nearly forgotten now, and she felt silly for even bothering herself with it.

She sniffled, shaking her head. It was time to move on again. She stretched and yawned, looking around. '_Today_.' Kairi decided. '_I should clean the house_.' She normally wouldn't have let it go this long, but lately she hadn't been in the mood.

But as she stared out at the crystal clear ocean, she had a better idea. Slowly she began to wade in, until the water was past her waist and her shorts were soaked. Absolutely beautiful. A curious fish nipped her toe and Kairi shrieked, startled. It swam off quickly. She ducked under, smoothing her hair back. Much better.

She heard someone behind her, wading in slowly. '_Tidus again_.' She figured, ignoring it. The noise was coming closer, the person was right behind her. She braced herself, then when it was totally silent she spun around, splashing madly.

It caught her stalker by surprise, giving her time to swim away. When she surfaced she found she could barely reach the bottom. Her toes skimmed the seaweed and sand. Wiping the water from her eyes, she looked around. Not a soul. Kairi's heart began to pound again, her dream rematerialized in her mind.

"Oh Tidus." She sang tauntingly, trying to trick herself into composure.

"Yeah?" His voice was distant, and she scanned the island. His unmistakable form appeared from the secret place. She squinted and was surprised to see he was totally...dry.

Kairi's self-assurance went out the window. Who had been behind her? "Um. Nothing!" She yelled back, starting to swim toward shore. She paused when her feet touched a rock. She stood up on the rock, a little more confident now that she could fully touch ground.

"Behind you!" Tidus's frantic cry came fast, alarming Kairi and causing her to slip. The rock flipped from the sudden weight shift and caught her foot underneath. It held her under. She struggled against the rock for air and to get away from whatever Tidus was warning her about.

A hand plunged under the water and wrapped around her ankle while another hand pushed the rock away with such ease, Kairi wondered very briefly if it was styrofoam. The hands snaked around her waist and pulled her up. She began to cough from the sudden allowance of oxygen.

Thank God Tidus had been there quick enough. She was sure she'd have been able to pull the rock away but fear and panic had paralyzed her. Weak. She felt so weak. But through her stinging eyes she saw Tidus wading toward them.

A scary thought popped into her head. '_Then...who saved me_?'

_z-z-z-z-z-z_

"What happened?" Tidus demanded when he reached them.

Riku looked down at his friend who was in a near faint, holding and staring at Riku's hands as though she'd never seen or touched anything like them, and then glared at Tidus. "Why the hell did you yell like that?" He demanded.

"I didn't recognize you at first! What else was I supposed to do!"

Riku glanced back down at Kairi. "Are you okay?" He asked, worried for his friend.

She looked up at him slowly, staring for a few seconds. A small smile crept onto her lips "Riku."

Riku smirked, though he was glad to see she was okay. He knew from experience even half a minute under water without oxygen could cause brain damage, unconsciousness, or even death. Kairi had been under for at least that until he realized she wasn't going to surface. She was staring at him again. "Something wrong?" Riku asked, a little self-consciously. She looked like she was seeing a ghost.

She shook her head slowly, seeming to come out of a trance. "No. No of course not. I just. You." Unable to form any coherent sentences, she resigned to embracing him tightly. He gladly returned it, kissing the top of her head.

"I think I'm going to go find Selphie and Wakka. They'll be happy to see you again." Tidus said, already swimming backwards. Riku knew the real reason he was leaving; to give he and Kairi their much-needed privacy.

"Kairi. We need to talk." Riku whispered, beginning to play with her hair.

"Not right now." She aruged.

Riku shifted his arms and Kairi sank a little. He realized he was holding her up. "Here. Lets go back." He pushed her away, still protectively keeping her above the water.

"I'm a big girl Riku. I can swim." She protested, pulling away from his grip and ducked under. Riku watched her form slice through the transparent blue water like it was air before he began following at a much slower pace. She stopped few feet from shore, her knees just above the water. She glanced over her shoulder at him. "C'mon lazy bum." She called teasingly. He winked but kept his pace. She grinned and shook her head, sitting on the beach. "I just can't believe it." She announced when he reached her.

"What's that."

"That…it's you." She sounded thrilled.

Riku refrained from smiling. "Oh." The two lapsed into a comfortable silence, watching the sky. Riku was near asleep when he remembered Mickey and Kei. They'd stayed in Riku's house the night before and were probably still in bed. It had been strange being in his old room; he'd changed so much since he'd lived there. "Kairi-" He began, sitting up straighter. "I need to tell you something."

"Hmm?" She had her eyes closed.

"There are others. The uh…the King is with me. King Mickey. And a girl, Kei."

Kairi opened her eyes and looked at him. "What's so bad about that?"

"The Door was open for a few minutes." Kairi stared at him patiently, waiting for the bad part. Riku shut his eyes. He loved her, but she was very dense at times. "Heartless may have escaped. Not many, but they multiply quickly. Watch yourself. I don't want a repeat of…Kingdom Hearts." He said finally.

Kairi had turned a pale white color but kept an apathetic expression. "Thanks for the warning then." She said simply. Riku would have been surprised at the calm attitude she had toward the situation…but he knew better. She looked away from him then, looking down at her hands. "So. How long have you been here?" She changed the subject.

"Yesterday. Do you remember going in the Secret Place?" He almost smiled.

Kairi gasped. "I _knew_ I heard someone in there!" This time Riku _did_ smile, causing Kairi to look away abruptly. He had just enough time to see a dark crimson color staining her cheeks. He couldn't help staring. She was so beautiful. Her burgundy hair had grown past her shoulders; her azure eyes had a more mature yet innocent gleam to them that Riku couldn't help being captured by. _No. I thought I was over this crush_. He scolded himself severely, forcing his eyes away. "Then you heard…what I said?"

"Yeah…"

She got to her feet hastily and looked around. "So." She said, moving on to a totally different subject. "Are you hungry?" She held out her hand. Riku looked at it for a minute before taking it and allowing himself to be pulled up.

"Somewhat." He answered, running his hands through his hair. She smiled brightly, which caused Riku to smile again. It felt good to be home.

"RIKU!" A bright voice yelled. He barely had time to turn around when someone tackled him. He stumbled back, but kept his balance. He recognized Selphie almost immediately and smirked. Of course.

"Hey Sel." He tried to be cool and tried even harder to pull her off him.

She backed up, grinning like a child at Christmas time. "OMGOSH I CANNOT BELIVE ITS YOU!" She shrieked, and forced him into another hug.

He wanted to laugh. "Hey Wakka." He waved instead, keeping an arm around Selphie. Wakka had been a little better at hiding his gladness.

"Hey Riku. Good to see ya again. Nice morning, ya?" Wakka's accent hadn't changed a bit. Riku nodded in agreement. It was a great morning.

_z-z-z-z-z_

The sunsets were just as he remembered, pinks and oranges melting into the blackish blue night sky. He fixed his gaze on the sun as it slowly dipped out of sight. It became much cooler as night settled in, but Riku didn't care. He enjoyed night the most. He heard someone approaching behind him but didn't acknowledge him or her. The person stopped just behind him and stayed like that for a minute. He didn't think it was Tidus, King Mickey or Wakka. They'd have already said something. Selphie was out of the question, she'd have been hugging and shrieking again. Kei wouldn't approach him anyway. That left one person. Kairi.

The mystery person sank down onto the Paopu tree next to him, straddling it so as to face him. He'd guessed correctly; it was Kairi. She simply stared at him, not saying anything, just watching. After a while he smirked. "Like what you see?"

It obviously startled her. "Sorry." She laughed softly. "You just...you've grown up without me."

I glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

"I mean.." She said slowly. "That you seem so much older now. You did before too, but." She stopped, averting her eyes.

Riku chucked. "You grew up too ya know." She scoffed and shook her head.

"Nope. I'm still-" She but her lip as though she wished she hadn't said anything.

"You're still what?" Riku pressed.

"Nothing." She answered. Riku kept his eyes on her. Finally she said, "Stop looking at me."

"Why?"

"It makes me nervous."

"Why?"

"Because it just does." She said impatiently.

"I see." Riku looked forward again, trying not to smile. Kairi acted like she wanted to say something but every time she opened her mouth she shut it again. Finally Riku asked what was wrong. She denied any trouble or problems. Riku yawned. "Alright then. " He said. "If you're sure its nothing I'm gonna go to bed."

She nodded. "Alright. Sleep well." She answered. Riku sensed tension and wanted to stay but he'd already announced his leave. He reached the end of the bridge when something compelled him to go back. His heart told him something wasn't right. Kairi heard him coming and turned around. "Decide not to go to bed after all?" She asked, smiling slightly. He didn't answer. Instead, he put his arms around her shoulders and hugged her tightly. "Riku what in the world-" She began to ask.

"I noticed you crying this morning. Something isn't right." He said.

Sure enough, Kairi relaxed in his arms. "Was everyone watching me? " She asked in exasperation. When he didn't answer she sighed. "I don't remember you being this concerned before Kingdom hearts."

Riku smiled. "I'm normally not."

She was silent for a minute. "I know." She said finally. Her voice shook and she pulled away from Riku rapidly. "No, not again. This would be the second damn time today. There is no way I'll start blubbering again." She grumbled, already halfway across the bridge.

"Kairi!" Riku called, catching up with her. "Why don't you just talk to me?"

She didn't answer but she stopped walking. _Progress_. Riku thought. "You wouldn't understand Riku." She said finally.

"Try me."

Kairi laughed. "You've got such a way with words Mr. Persuasive." She joked. He didn't answer, hoping she'd give in. She did. "I'm kinda worried about the Heartless. Do you think they'll come after me?" She asked, sounding more like the Kairi he knew.

Riku looked at her seriously. "No. I don't even know if any escaped." He answered honestly. "It was only a warning."

Kairi nodded slowly, then smirked. "You still think I've grown up? Worried over a few heartless," She rolled her eyes.

"You've grown up, even if you're afraid of Heartless. Everybody's afraid of something." He answered her with sincerity, taking her by the hand. She glanced at his hand and blushed. Riku laughed. "C'mon." He said. "I'll walk ya home."

_z-z-z-z-z_

Sora let the axe fall with a heavy thud. The log split in two. He straightened and wiped the sweat from his brow. The sun beat down on him relentlessly. Mrs. Mathieu handed him a glass of water. He accepted it. "Thanks Ma'am."

"No problem honey. Now." She eased back into her rocking chair. "What's this news I hear of you sailing across the ocean?"

Sora lifted a log and sat it upright. He sliced through it easily. All his training was paying off. "Well." He straightened again. "I have a friend I need to visit."

"And she's across the ocean?"

Sora readied the next log, lifting the axe. It came down with a swift and satisfying thump. "Yeah she- wait. How'd you know it was a she?" He took a break from his work and sat on the steps in front of Mrs. Mathieu.

She smiled. "I can see it in your eyes. In love with this girl Sora?"

Sora stared at her for a minute. "You are amazing you know that?" He finally laughed.

Mrs. Mathieu laughed too. "I'm old, not senile. I recognize love when I see it. You've had a grin on your face the entire day. Nobody has that much fun working."

Sora took another drink of his water. "You're not old." He protested. Mrs. Mathieu chuckled.

"You're a very good liar boy. You'll go far."

"My mom used to say that." Sora stated, looking forward.

"Your mother was a wise woman then." She winked. "Now. Tell me about this girl."

Sora grinned. "Can't resist a good love story eh?"

"Who could?"

"Well." Sora sighed and leaned back. "I'm afraid there really isn't a story. Kairi, the girl, and I have been friends since forever. Or at least since she ended up on Destiny Islands." It didn't occur to Sora that Mrs. Mathieu might not know where Destiny Islands was. "We were just friends. Friends till the end, or so we promised. And then…and then we grew up." He chuckled. "I haven't seen her in a year. I didn't think I could. I lost hope I guess. The one thing I was never supposed to lose, being the keyblade master and all." He rolled his eyes. "I don't really know how she feels about me now. For all I know she hates me." He reached in his pocket and fingered the pink letter. "But then I found this letter." He pulled it out and handed it to his employer and friend. "Its her."

He was silent as she read it, occasionally taking sips of water. When she finished she cleared her throat and handed it back to him. "Sounds like she wants to find you."

"I want to find her too."

"How are you planning on getting there?"

"A boat." Sora answered simply.

"A boat that you don't have." Mrs. Mathieu pointed out.

Sora nodded. "Point taken." It grew silent then. Sora grumbled something about getting back to work.

"I think you're done for the day." The elderly woman said kindly, smiling at him. Sora looked at her.

"You sure?"

"Positive." She stood up slowly. "I'll tell you what. I'll talk to Hiroshi down at the docks. Maybe he'll have a rental you could use."

Sora's entire face lit up. "Are you serious? I didn't even think of that. Thank you! You don't know how much this means to me." He leapt to his feet and wrapped her in a hug.

Mrs. Mathieu laughed and said, "Careful, I'm old Sora. And I didn't do anything yet. I just can't let something that can be fixed stop you from getting back the woman you love. It wouldn't be right." Sora smiled. The woman he loved. Kairi. He _loved_ Kairi.

_z-z-z-z-z_

Black-Rose72- Thanks again for reviewing. Here's chapter 4.

Saphire Eyes91- Sorry I haven't updated in a while. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING!

Somebody- I think this was a flame…I couldn't quite read it. Maybe it was your inarticulacy. Either that or your extraordinary stupidity. Probably both. But thanks for taking the TIME to flame me! They're so much fun! You aren't considered a real writer until you have a critic. A bad critic. Muwhaha.

DaggerQuill- Get some sleep! just kiddin. Hope you're awake now. Thanks for reviewing. It made me laugh.

KingdomHearts309 – Thanks! You guys all don't know how much reviews are appreciated. Even flames. It makes me smile every time I see one. I read em all the time...inspiration baby.  



	5. Confiteor

_A/N: (Confiteor)-confess. Chapter edited 2/26/05_

Sorry if Riku seems out of character. I just don't see him as the cold person as a lot of other people do. I don't think even Kingdom Hearts could change that. He was just...misguided. Also, I have to sort of...alter the course of Kingdom hearts a bit. Mostly because I've forgotten what happened...and partly cause I have to. Don't hate me.

z-z-z-z-z

"Sora, you know I would help you if I could." Hiroshi said. Sora leaned forward on the wooden counter, staring at a poster on the wall. "I just can't 'give' you a boat."

"I don't expect you to give it to me. I've got Munny." Sora turned his eyes on the older man. Hiroshi's mustache twitched as though he was fighting a smile.

"An hour rental is 312 munnies. If you want to rent it for a full day, I knock off an hour pay."

Sora looked down, biting his lip. "How much for the full day? Total."

The boat owner sucked in his breath. "2,187 munnies."

Sora looked up sharply. "That's with the hour off?" He asked incredulously. He was beginning to miss the heartless. At least they paid well. Hiroshi sighed.

"Sora it's relatively cheap...how much do you have?" He asked. Not even Hiroshi was immune to Sora's crestfallen expression.

Crickets chirped as the sun began to sink. Myste would be off work soon. "Not even half." Sora answered. "And I'll need it for longer than a day."

"Longer than a day? Where you planning on taking this thing?"

"Across the ocean. I'm looking for someone." He straightened and tapped the counter. "Thanks anyway." He started to walk toward the door.

"Sora." Hiroshi said. "If you can come up with half...maybe we could work something out hmm?"

Sora nodded, putting a hand on the handle of the screen door. "Thanks again." The door slammed shut. "See ya."

The streets weren't very busy, which was odd for this time of day. Normally this was traffic time. Sora growled to himself, no way he'd be able to come up with enough...Maybe he could work extra. Or try to build one. He chuckled, remembering the genius little raft the three of them had made. That thing wouldn't have made the first wave. Sora passed Salt and found the lights were still on. That was strange...He made a pit stop and pulled open the doors. "We are CLOSED." A voice yelled, slurring the last word slightly.

"Myste?" Sora called, confused.

"Sora? That you?" She appeared from behind a booth, smiling at him.

"Shit." Sora grumbled. She was wasted...again. "You know, you're making this habit." He pointed to the near empty bottle of alcohol.

She looked at it, giggling. "I suppose. But I have good reason." She shrugged, standing up. She stumbled a bit but caught herself.

"Really now?" Sora crossed his arms over his chest and watched her grab her purse.

"Uh huh." She nodded. "Sure do. You seen the keys?" She asked, muttering to herself. Sora looked at the table where she'd been sitting and pointed. Myste stared at them for a second. "Oh...right there. Silly me."

Sora rolled his eyes and turned off the lights. "Let's go home." He said, holding his arm out for her to grab.

"Whoa...Its dark huh." She giggled and stumbled over to him.

"Yeah. Give me that." He took the bottle from her and trashed it. Her protest was a meager 'Hey' but she didn't bother saying anything when he took the keys and locked the door. "How much have you drank? You're smashed." Sora fought to keep her upright.

"A little more than usual is all." She shrugged, tripping over her own feet. She went down like a rock, but once again caught herself on the porch railing.

"C'mon Myste. You can't even stand up straight." Sora pointed out.

"I'm drunk off my ass Sora. I can't exactly focus...yet." She grinned at something ahead of them. "Look...there's a dog." Sora looked up just in time to see something slink off into the shadows.

"Nothing there now." He looked over at his friend, who was walking a fair amount slower than she had been. "You okay?"

Myste shook her head. "I don't think that was a dog Sor." Sora's heart skipped a beat but quickly shook his head. She said it herself, she was totally drunk. Obviously she was just seeing things.

"What're you talking about. Of course it was a-"He began. She coughed, breaking away from him. She disappeared behind a building; he could hear the reason why. He cleared his throat and shoved his hands in his pockets. He found himself grateful the roads were strangely clear now. After she emerged from the back of the store Sora asked, "You okay?"

"Peachy." She replied quietly, reaching in her purse. She dug around for a second before pulling out a ponytail holder. "Get this stuff outta my face." She grumbled, pulling her hair up.

They walked again, Myste stayed close to Sora. She seemed to have sobered up just enough to be afraid of 'the dog' she'd seen. Sora got her inside and into her room, telling her to sit on the bed. She did and put her face in her hands. He closed her blinds, glancing at her over his shoulder. "You should sleep. You have to go back to work tomorrow." He stated.

Myste laughed but it sounded more like a cough. "Nope. I don't have to work tomorrow. Or the next day. Or ever. Xau fired me."

"Why!" Sora asked, his eyes shut. He couldn't say he hadn't expected it when Sage got the job there.

"She needed to make some cuts so me and Etsu got the boot. Who knows who'll be next."

"Bet you anything it wont be Sage." Sora grumbled bitterly. He didn't resent the girl at all he merely hated her sister. Myste smiled tiredly.

"What about you? Any luck with that boat?"

Sora shook his head. "Its over 2000 munny. I used to have that you know, in my heartless days. But now...it'd be cheaper to _buy_ a boat."

"You aren't giving up are you? I'll kill you if you give up." Myste glared at him through slightly reddened eyes.

Sora laughed quietly. "Not giving up yet. Maybe I'll steal it..." He smiled and shook his head, pushing the blinds open again. A young boy was running down the street...laughing? Sora didn't think anything about it at first, figuring he was being chased by a friend...that is, until he saw the 'friend' was a shadow. "Shit." He bolted out Myste's bedroom door, leaving her calling after him. He shoved open the front door. The echo of the boy's footsteps were barely heard, but his cries for help were still loud. Sora took off in the direction of that sound.

All he could think about was that heartless. Where had it come from? Was that what Myste saw? He realized that's what Sage had seen that night in the kitchen. How long had they been around? And why hadn't he seen any sooner? His thoughts hurried to Kairi. Were they after her? Was the Door open? Sora called his keyblade, something he hadn't done in what felt like forever. The metal was cool against his palm. It gave him a sudden rush of energy. The boy's yelling had only attracted a few curious people out of their homes, but they didn't stay long. A couple of them saw Sora running and called to him, but he ignored them.

The footsteps had stopped, leading off into the meadow. The cries were also gone. Had he been too late? He slowed to a stop, breathing heavily. He was a while away from the nearest store or house. "Kid?" Sora called, looking around wearily. No answer. Sora stepped into the meadow. The lights of the town were far away and except for the light of the moon, there was nothing.

He stumbled across something hard. '_Damn...Please don't let it be..._' He looked down. "Thank God." He shut his eyes, letting out the breath he didn't know he was holding. It was only a log. Suddenly there was a noise, a laughing sort of chatter. Sora turned. The heartless now danced behind him. He raised the keyblade in defense, prepared to slaughter it. The Ultimate weapon made contact, but it didn't seem to do too much damage. He hit again, unable to dodge a swipe. It brought blood. He had just focused in on his next attack when the heartless reared back. The sudden change threw Sora off guard.

The tiny shadow heartless rushed forward again, shooting reddish orange balls of light. Sora swore and hit the ground face first to avoid the fire. Since when could they do that! He got to his feet quickly, slightly paranoid it would fire again. It did and he was forced to the ground again. When he got back up, he wasted no time and slammed the keyblade into the creature's heart at the perfect moment. It screamed and disintegrated.

Sora fell against the keyblade, trying to catch his breath. "Cheap little bastard. Where's my munny?" He chuckled, trying to break the fear that was building around his heart. Where was that boy at? "Kid?" He shouted again, searching the dark field. The grass was too tall to see anyone laying down... "IS ANYONE OUT HERE!" He yelled. Not too far away he saw someone sit up. "Hey!" He called, jogging toward them. He was close enough to know it was the boy. He looked around, then at Sora.

"It's gone?" He asked when Sora reached the kid, standing up. Sora nodded while checking him out to make sure he was okay. He looked relatively unharmed.

"C'mon. You need to get inside. What's your name again?" He asked, motioning for the kid to follow. The boy was familiar. His small footsteps were heard trailing behind Sora's.

"Ronin. I thought those things were gone." Ronin said, almost running to keep up with Sora's long strides. '_So did I._' Sora thought. When he didn't answer, Ronin fell silent. Only for a moment. "You know, I could have taken it on." He grumbled quietly. "I just didn't have enough time to get ready."

Sora hid a smile. "I understand." Ronin perked up considerably. "So where do you live kid?'

"Down there." He pointed down the main road. '_Gee_.' Sora thought sarcastically. "I've got it from here." He said, running past Sora.

"Wait, I'll see you home." Sora called the kid back. Ronin didn't stop running. Sora rolled his eyes. '_Whatever_.' He thought.

Myste was waiting for him when he got home. "Where did you go! You scared the hell out of me!" She yelled the second he stepped inside. Sora flinched. It was then Myste saw the keyblade. "Oh..." She sank back down onto the couch, staring at it sullenly. "I knew it wasn't a dog."

"I have to go. I have to get to Destiny Islands...that heartless wasn't supposed to be here." Sora walked into his room, letting the keyblade disappear.

Myste yelled from the living room, "How? You don't have a way to get there." Sora poked his head out and grinned. Comprehension appeared on her face and she gave Sora a look. "Steal it." She grumbled. Sora's grin grew wider and he disappeared back into his room to continue packing his stuff. "But Sora...you can't! They'll come after you...and they'll come after me too!"

"Then come with me."

Myste stopped. The thought had never crossed her mind. She never really processed what it would be like without Sora. Terrible sadness came over her. "I can't..." She said quietly.

"Why?" Sora asked, folding his clothes over the chair in the living room.

"I..." She paused. She didn't have work anymore. And there was no true family... "This is my home Sor. I can't just up and leave."

"You can always come back."

"Sora we both know that may not be possible." She gave him another look. He glared right back.

"But what's left here for you?" Sora argued.

"A lot is! These people raised me! They're my family." Myste cried indignantly. Sora stared at her.

"So am I." He muttered, going back to his room. Myste put her head in her hands, wishing she could think straight. This was the wrong night to have gotten drunk.

z-z-z-z-z 

"Sora. You're back. I was just about to close up but...Sora?" Hiroshi looked at the 16-year-old nervously. "What're you doing with that knife?"

Sora reached in his pocket and pulled out a small box. "This isn't even half of what I'm going to owe you. But I'll fix that later." He set it on the counter.

Hiroshi gave him a weird look. "What's going on?"

Sora jumped the counter, landing in front of the older man with a mild thud. Hiroshi backed up. "Sorry about this sir." Sora said, right before punching the man square in the face. It knocked him out instantly. "Sorry." Sora repeated, rubbing his hand. He grabbed the ring of keys and raced back out, behind the shack.

"Sora!" A voice called quietly. He looked at the boat closest to him, a fairly large white ship with the name '50/50'

"I don't get the name but it looks good enough." Myste whispered as Sora hopped on. He chuckled.

"Sounds real reassuring." He joked, holding up the keys. Which was is?

"Why do you say that?" Myste asked, taking the keys from him. He looked at her.

"50/50. 50 chance it'll sink and 50 chance it'll swim." He said slowly. She gave him a dirty look.

"Gee. How encouraging. _Where_ is this damn key!" She growled. Sora took them from her, smiling. "Don't you smile at me like that. All high and mighty I'll show you-"She continued grumbling as she put their stuff in the corner.

Sora gave up and started putting keys in the ignition, trying to get it started. After a few duds, he found the right one. It started up. "I'm gonna cut the ropes." He said, unsheathing the knife.

Myste nodded and walked over to the controls. "I got this."

Sora leaned over and cut the thick ropes keeping the boat at the dock. With a few swear words and little bit of struggle, the pair managed to get out to open sea. Sora looked up at the open sky. "I'm comin home Kairi."

z-z-z-z-z-z

**The next morning**

"Good morning Sora." She murmured, standing at the ocean's edge. Her normal addition of 'Riku' was absent. He was home now, just like she wished. And in time for his birthday no less. Kairi felt the same strange calm over the island that had been there the day Selphie sneaked up behind her. At that time she felt something big would happen, something unexplainable. Good and bad. That was the day she read Message in a Bottle.

Now, present day, Kairi had the same feeling. Her dreams were no longer filled with horrible images of her friends death and heartless, but of a meadow. Always the same meadow. She couldn't ever find her way out of the tall grass and flowers. She heard voices a fair distance away, and glanced in that direction. She could tell it was Riku, but someone was with him. A girl. Maybe it was this Kei person Riku has spoken about the night before. Kairi hadn't met her yet.

The closer they got, the more she could hear their conversation. She could tell they were arguing. "You told me...but it wasn't your business...made it my...you have no idea..." The argument seemed to have reached its climax and they both fell silent. The girl saw Kairi first. She mumbled something to Riku, her eyes intent on his face.

He looked straight at her and said, "Kairi." His eyes left the girl's and traveled right to Kairi's. Kairi smiled weakly and waved, clasping her hands behind her back. Riku looked back at his companion and said something. Kairi met them halfway down the beach. "Morning Kairi." He nodded, a shadow of a smile crossing his features.

"Hey." She greeted quietly. The girl was watching her face very closely. Kairi shifted uncomfortably.

"Kairi, I'd like you to meet Kei." Riku said, putting his hand on the girl's shoulder. She glanced at him.

"Hello Kei." Kairi said quickly. Kei didn't answer, still watching Riku.

He looked at Kei and said, "This is Kairi." And pointed. Kei looked at Kairi. In that second, Riku said, "She's deaf."

Kairi's face must've registered surprise because Kei's young features peered at her concernedly. "Hello. Nice to meet you." Kairi said clearly and loudly.

Kei smiled. "Nice to meet you too." She replied, her voice oddly strangled.

"Have you two had breakfast?" The redheaded princess asked, looking between them. Then she repeated clearly to Kei, "Breakfast."

She blinked and looked over to Riku with a small smirk. Riku kept a very serious expression. "Kairi...she can read your lips. You don't have to..." He paused.

"Yell." Kairi supplied, her face growing warm as Kei smiled at her. "Sorry."

"Its not a problem. I'm used to it." Kei said with surprising articulacy.

"Breakfast sounds nice." Riku changed the subject, giving Kei a look Kairi couldn't read.

"Good." Was Kairi's soft reply. They walked across the sand toward Kairi's home. Occasionally the redhead would glance back at them, in time to see Kei look abruptly away from Riku. Each time Riku would wink almost imperceptibly at Kairi and she would immediately turn around.

"You know...maybe we should go to Providence for breakfast." Kairi quickly shut her door just as she opened it. There were clothes, magazines, dirty plates, and various hygiene products spread around her living room. The kitchen, Kairi knew, was relatively clean since she hadn't cooked in a while.

Riku, being Riku, knew exactly what was the issue. "You are the biggest neat freak I know. It can't be that bad." He nodded toward her house, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kairi bit her lip. "I've been slipping." She smiled. "Besides, I like this idea better. This way we can take everyone." She paused. "What about King Mickey? Isn't he here?"

Riku glanced at Kei. "Yeah. He's got his nose buried in some book though. Says he's got work to do." He shrugged. Kairi had the feeling he was hiding something. She shrugged it off.

"So it's decided. Providence it is. Oh I bet Ti would love to see you now." Kairi said in a singsong manner and grinned mischievously. Riku smirked.

"Forgot about Ti..." He shook his head. Kairi was still grinning, remembering their childhood friend. Ti had lived on Providence so they sometimes saw her when they were younger. It was common knowledge that Ti had a crush on Riku.

"I haven't seen her in a while, but the last time I checked she was still living with her grandmother. You remember Mim don't you?"

"How could I forget the old bat." Riku grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "Still have the bruises." Kairi laughed. Mim never liked Riku or Sora. She's taken a liking to Kairi fairly quickly, but always thought the boys were a nuisance. She never let the opportunity slip to thump the two on the head either. "For the life of me I don't know why the woman didn't like us." Riku muttered. Kairi knew he was being sarcastic. When they were younger, Riku and Sora had the reputation of being troublemakers. They deserved that reputation though.

Kairi had been their saving grace.

"Breakfast." Riku said suddenly. And the memories were broken. Kei was looking away, somewhere off in the ocean.

"Right. Breakfast. Let me get dressed and stuff, and I'll meet you in about 30 minutes by the dock?" Kairi asked, stepping up on her porch. Riku nodded in agreement. As Kairi walked in and shut her door behind her, she could see Riku take Kei by the arm and begin to talk to her. Kei smiled and Kairi felt a pang of jealousy. This took her by surprise.

'_What's wrong with me_?'

z-z-z-z-z-z

"You want to pick up where we left off?" Riku asked, smirking at the young green-eyed girl in front of him. She eyes narrowed to a glare. Riku tried to ignore the sudden shooting pain in his arm, from the heartless scratch.

"I told you. It is none of your business." And she looked away abruptly. Riku's temper skyrocketed. He knew this was her way of ignoring people, not watching them. He grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around. She squeaked quietly, shocked.

"You opened that door, endangering everyone. Heartless could have escaped, and could be multiplying quickly. But you still think that it's not my business?" He let her go then, a little surprised at himself. Kei seemed to visibly deflate. She closed her eyes, lowering her head. Riku noticed her black hair took a bluish color when the light hit it just right.

"Fine." She said quietly. "But you can't tell anyone. The power to open the Door runs in my family. Well, kind of. Only two people in my family could open the door. I was one of them. My cousin was the other. When the heartless showed up...my uncle had good intentions. No one seems to believe that. It was just the darkness that messed him up. He didn't mean for anyone to be hurt." She paused.

"I'm sure you've heard of him. Ansem? Anyway, destiny decided that my cousin was the one that needed to open the door. After I saw all the damage the open Door caused, I set out to close it. My uncle found out and sent the heartless after my family and me. My family was completely wiped out." She stopped again, briefly locking eyes with Riku.

"One got to me eventually, but it didn't take all of my heart. I became half-heartless so to speak. Because I still had my human blood and half of my heart, I could open the door. Even after my cousin had closed it. There's something about the darkness. Once you've tasted it...its like there's no going back. No escape really. It's becoming impossible for me to keep my 'evil' half in check." She spared another glance to Riku, who was watching calmly.

"I figured the only way to stop the urges...was to go to the source. I wanted them to take the rest of my heart, instead of fighting it all the time. I'm sick of fighting it. I didn't think opening the door for a few seconds would cause so much trouble...but I made it. It would have worked too if..." She smiled slightly as she looked at Riku. "Well you know. That's the story."

Riku closed his eyes briefly, running a hand through his silver hair. "Is this cousin of yours...his name Sora?" He asked.

Kei looked surprised. "Yeah. I've never met him though...did you know him?" For a moment Riku was silent. It was weird to him, to think that this girl didn't know about his and Sora's relationship. She had no idea...

"We were best friends." He shrugged. Kei's eyes lit up.

"Really? Is he here? Can I meet him?"

"I don't know where he is." Riku shrugged again, searching for a subject change. "How old are you?"

Kei's eager expression fell back into her normal frown. "I'm 13." Riku raised his eyebrows. So she was 12 when it all happened. He tried to imagine losing all of his family at 12. It was hard enough at 15.

"Yo Riku!" A familiar voice called. Riku looked up sharply to see Wakka heading toward them. He waved slightly.

Kei looked at him, then back at Riku questioningly. "Wakka." He said slowly. She still looked confused so he repeated it, slower still. Her eyes were still blank.

"Give me your hand." Riku said finally. "Wakka." He said as he spelled each letter out carefully, making sure she understood.

"Wakka." She said quietly, stumbling a bit. It was rough sounding but she had the basic idea. Riku nodded.

Wakka looked thoroughly confused, glancing between the two periodically. When Kei looked to the orange-haired man, Riku quickly said, "She's deaf."

His expression eased into a grin. "Oh. Nice to meet you ya?" Wakka stuck his hand out toward Kei. He too spoke loudly.

"You don't have to yell. She can read your lips." Riku pretended to cough so Kei couldn't see what he was saying.

Wakka handled this information like a pro, not batting an eye. Kei introduced herself shyly. Riku refrained from saying anything about her quiet attitude. Her confession earlier had earned faint respect from him.

He still didn't trust her.

Tidus and Selphie were not far behind, Sel waving wildly. She yelled Riku's name, breaking away from Tidus. The blonde just shook his head, watching his girlfriend run down the beach. Selphie slid to a stop, lightly bumping Wakka. Tidus followed at a quicker but steady pace. "Are you all going to Providence with us?" Riku asked, nodding to Tidus.

"Yeah Kairi-"Selphie looked over her shoulder. "Was...supposed to be following us." She frowned. "I don't know where she went off to."

Riku introduced Kei again, who had no trouble with Selphie or Tidus's name. Riku couldn't help but notice how the younger girl handled herself around older strangers. If she was intimidated she didn't let on...except with Wakka.

Kairi appeared once again, trading in the light blue warm-up suit she wore this morning for a pair of jean shorts and a pink and white striped tank top. She smiled brightly at the group as she jogged toward them.

"Sorry!" She called. "I had to make a detour for my shoes. They were in my bushes." She was still smiling. Riku barely noticed the flip-flops.

"Bushes." Tidus repeated in under his breath, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Well. What're we standing here for?" She asked as soon as she reached them, hands on her hips.

"We were waiting for you." Selphie rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.

"Well I'm here now. There're only four boats though, so we better divide up." Kairi looked thoughtfully at the wooden canoes. "Kei can go with Riku obviously, she's knows him best."

"Actually." Kei spoke up. She'd been watching Kairi. "I think I'm going to stay here. I'm kinda tired anyway...besides. Someone should stay with the King." She was already backing away. "You guys should catch up. I'll see you later." She turned and started to walk back toward Riku's house.

"Well...wait..." Kairi looked after her, a little disappointed. "We'll bring you back something then." She added quietly, pushing her hair back with her hand. Riku watched Kei until she disappeared around the corner, a little surprised and suspicious of her sudden change of heart.

"So then, we'll go in our own boats. Kairi and Riku can share one." Tidus said, turning back to his friends. "You all have the most catching up to do."

"That isn't necessary..." Kairi started quickly but Selphie cut her off.

"It's decided. Race ya." She grinned at Wakka and Tidus, who didn't waste any time running for the dock. Kairi and Riku were left behind, watching as the three dove headfirst into battle for Providence.

Kairi cleared her throat. "So...I guess we should get going." She took a step forward but paused, looking briefly back at Riku. "Right?" He shrugged and nodded, starting to walk along with her. "So um, how'd you sleep?" Kairi painfully tried to start a conversation as they climbed into the narrow boat. Kairi went first, trying to keep the boat steady as Riku joined her.

"Fine. You?" He asked dutifully, picking up the oars. Kairi put one foot out of the boat and push off against the dock. The canoe swayed to the side but stayed upright, slicing easily though the cool blue water.

"Fine." Kairi slipped off her shoes and hung her feet over the side of the boat, letting them skim the water. "They sure are far up there." She observed, shading her eyes against the sun as she looked toward the three boats ahead. Riku continued rowing silently, all the while watching his redheaded friend.

He found himself wondering how she was dealing with the absence of Sora. Obviously Kairi had feelings for him, despite Riku's own feelings toward her. Or...old feelings rather. He didn't feel that way toward her anymore. At least, he thought he didn't. Sora had always been Kairi's...well...favorite. Riku looked back on their old days on the islands and wondered how foolish he must've been. You would have to be blind not to see it.

He also wondered, on the subject of crushes, how he'd missed Selphie's own crush on him. It was so blindingly apparent, but he was so wrapped up in his feelings for Kairi and his fighting and his plans for the future that he never paid attention.

"Riku? Earth to Riku!" Kairi was calling. "Riku!" She waved a hand in front of his face.

"Hmm?" He seemingly jolted out of a deep sleep. He shook his head. "Sorry. Daydreaming." He explained.

Kairi giggled and looked back out at the ocean. "Almost there." She pointed to the island coming into view. Riku looked forward and smirked.

"It grew bigger." He commented lightly, rowing a little faster. Kairi nodded and smiled. Business was booming around the small islands.

Kairi looked back at Riku, studying him. Her eyes fell on his arm. "Hey...where'd you get that?" She pointed to the small black mark. He looked at it strangely.

"During a fight..." He answered, wondering why it wasn't hurting anymore. And...was it his imagination or did it get smaller?

The other three were already on the island, yelling and waving for Riku and Kairi to hurry up.

"We're GETTIN there!" Kairi yelled back, rolling her eyes. "Everything's a competition with them. They just don't know how to appreciate the scenery." She smiled at Riku and held eye contact briefly before she looked back to the shore. A little while later they pulled up next to the other beached canoes. They both climbed out, Riku pulling it further up the shore so it wouldn't wash away.

"Took you long enough." Selphie teased. Kairi stuck her tongue out at her playfully. "Seriously though, where to?" Sel looked over her shoulder.

Tidus shrugged. "La casa de Pizza?"

Selphie and Wakka made a face. "For breakfast man?" Wakka shook his head.

"What about Benny's then? Or Phoneys?" Tidus suggested.

"PHOP?" Selphie spoke up. Riku unexpectedly chuckled. Selphie's eyes widened considerably. "Did you just...laugh?" Kairi realized Sel had probably only seen Riku out of his serious state a few times.

"Phop?" He asked.

"Providence's House of Pancakes." Kairi explained. Riku nodded, rolling his eyes surreptitiously. "Sounds good...but should we stop and get Ti?" Kairi's sly grin was back. Riku gave her a Look behind the other's back.

"Oh we should." Selphie was now giggling too. Wakka elbowed her and gave Riku a sympathetic glance. "Oh whatever. C'mon." Selphie sighed. They went through the dirt roads, Kairi explaining different shops and telling stories about them.

"Jeez Kai. This is the most you've talked in months." Tidus teased when Kairi stopped to breath after a particularly long account of the newest restaurant.

Kairi flushed. "Sorry." She half-smiled and looked over at the stores as they walked by them.

"Keep talking." Riku said, still looking straight ahead. Kairi looked at him then back at the stores.

"Nah. Nothin' more to tell. Besides, we're pretty much there." She pointed to a small cluster of houses on a tiny road leading off the main. Riku looked at it, memories flooded his mind. This was it all right.

The little wooden house hadn't changed at all, and the large palm tree still sat squarely in the front yard, older and weatherworn, but still tall and strong. Riku remembered the house being much bigger when he was younger. He leaned against the wall next to the dark wood door and waited for someone to knock. He didn't feel right doing it himself.

Kairi also seemed hesitant. "Well? Knock!" Selphie gestured to the door.

"Why don't you do it?" Kairi snapped.

Selphie took a giant step back. "Cause you're closer." She grinned. Kairi glared for a second before stepping forward and tapping on the door. After a few seconds it opened, revealing an older woman with slightly graying hair.

"Hey Mim!" Kairi smiled at her. Riku couldn't believe how old she seemed now. Her used to be dark hair was now a silvery gray, and she had shrunk considerably.

'_Or I've just grown_.' Riku thought, almost sadly. Mim's face lit up when she saw the four...not yet seeing Riku.

"Where've you been? You're all grown up! How come you don't ever come to see me?" She stepped back and gestured for them to come inside.

"We're here now aren't we?" Tidus grinned.

"Boy don't you get smart with me." She pinched his cheek.

"Hey! Ow." He pulled away from her, rubbing the offended area.

"We brought a friend with us this time." Selphie spoke, glaring at Tidus. She pointed to her silver haired friend.

"A friend eh?" She began, already extending her hand to shake this friend's hand. It fell to her side limply when she saw him. "My my." She murmured after a few seconds of silence.

"Hello Mim." Riku nodded politely.

"C'mere. Let me look at you." She pointed to the grown in front of her. Riku knew better than to argue and quickly obeyed. Mim studied him with the same cool, calculating blue-gray eyes he remembered as a child.

"Welcome back then." She said finally, touching his arm lightly. Riku nodded again. "You best stay out of trouble now that you're home. I got half a mind to thump you good for getting yourself in that heartless mess. I'm still Mim, I hold that right." She turned her gaze on the others. "No use standing in the doorway." She ushered the group in, but Riku held back. "You coming?" Mim asked, almost smiling. Almost.

"I'm just going to hang around out here for a while." He shrugged, pushing his hands into his pockets.

Mim nodded. "Well, Antigony lives in that house next to me," She cocked her head to the left. "Maybe you should stop by." Riku nodded a final time but as soon as Mim shut the door he smirked and rolled his eyes. Same old Mim.

Riku walked around the lawn, trying to sort though the last 24 hours. Kei's heavy confession, the reunion of old faces... "Speaking of old faces..." Riku muttered, looking at the small garden behind Mim's house. A young woman was sitting under a small palm tree, looking into the little patch of green. A large straw hat hid her face.

Riku approached carefully, not wanting to scare her. She heard him coming and looked up.

"Can I help-"She began to ask but stopped in mid-sentence, mouth hanging open. "YOU!" She shrieked suddenly. Fairly ungracefully she scrambled to her feet, only to stand and stare awkwardly. "You...you're back. How did you...Look at you!"

'_Apparently this woman knows me..._' Riku thought derisively, studying her. She was familiar.

"Don't you recognize me?" She asked, trying to catch his eye. '_Antigony_?' He thought. This couldn't be the little, messy haired girl with a too-big nose and dusty blue eyes. This woman had short, neat-cut blonde hair, symmetrical features, and Mim's same piercing blue eyes.

"Its me...Antigony. Well Ti now. I officially changed it. You're still Riku right?" So it was her.

"You uh...you grew into your nose." Was all he could think to say. Immediately he looked away, wondering why he chose to say that of all possible things. '_Nice first impression...idiot_.'

Ti just laughed. "Nice to have you back." She shook her head and sighed. "When did you get here?" Her eyes widened. "Does Mim know you're here?"

Riku nodded. "We got here a while ago. And yes Mim's already spoken with me." He smirked. Ti had apparently decided that was enough questions and chose to stare at him thoughtfully. Riku grew uncomfortable.

"Well-"Riku sighed.

"God I am SO glad you're back." Ti interrupted, tackling him. Riku took a step back to steady himself, completely flustered by the girl clinging to his middle.

"Yeah...whatever." He awkwardly patted her head, wondering if anyone would blame him if he bolted back to the canoes.

"Yo, can we get some breakfast already?" Wakka's voice drifted back to them. Ti backed up quickly, still grinning.

"Yes. Food...need food. I'm starving. Kiss and catch up later." Selphie's voice giggled.

"Stop it Sel." Kairi scolded, but she too was laughing.

Ti looked at them and smiled. "What? I didn't even get a warning you guys were coming!" She walked past Riku, taking off her hat and hugging Kairi and Selphie at the same time.

"We didn't know we were gonna visit until this morning." Tidus replied as he hugged her.

"Spur of the moment eh? Glad I decided to stay home then."

"You had plans?" Kairi asked. She shrugged and didn't answer.

"Where're you goin to eat?" She changed the subject. Kairi squinted at her but grinned nonetheless.

"Probably that pancake place. You wanna go?" Wakka answered her this time.

"Hmm. Sounds good. Let me grab my stuff and I'll meet ya'll there in a few minutes. Kay?" She put her hat back on and started walking backwards toward her house.

"Sounds good." Kairi turned to Riku and wandered over to him. The others were already on the dirt road back to the village. "You comin?" She asked. He nodded, still watching as Ti ran in her backdoor.

"Hey." Kairi whispered. He looked over at her. "You may want to close your mouth." Riku quickly snapped his jaw shut. Kairi just laughed.  
_  
z-z-z-z-z TBC_

Kei's little confession. I KNOW! The whole tired OC meets special powers/related to actual characters has been done. But that's really only the subplot of the story. The whole point of this, which I seem to have forgotten, is Sora getting back to Kairi.

I swear I meant for this not to have a plotish thing. I just wanted to have them all happy. But little things like Riku being locked in Kingdom hearts and barriers made me think a little. So I am sorry if you just completely gagged at the whole 'I'm half-heartless' thing ((I know I did)) because it's just an idea to get my Sora and Kairi together. Riku and Antigony MAY have...something...She wont be a mary-sue I hope. It all depends on you. If you don't want her to be with Riku then I wont have her with him. It is all up to you on this one.

ON TO THE AUTHOR REPLIES TO THE REVIEWS:

Yutaan- You think I have nice pacing? Haha thanks so much. Really. I thought my pacing sucked. I feel like I'm dragging it out. And you don't have a weird mind...in fact you read my mind about the being heartless thing.

Deplora- I'm glad you decided to read it! When I saw you reviewed it I was like WHEE! Lol. Thanks for reading it. It does mean a lot to me actually. Oo

Chiyo Yoshihiko- YAY! I loved this review. I'm glad you thought it was all that stuff, cause I was thinking it was stupid. WHEE!

DaggerQuill- HAHA! Not quite yet, but they will be...oh they will be. :D

KingdomHearts309- hahaha screamed like a weirdo. I scream like a weirdo when I review your stories too! 

Addictedtowriting- can't stop smiling The Riku thing? You mean...YAY! I thought I made him come across as like...way too soft. I cannot write in Sora or Riku's point of view when they're like...mean and cold. I just don't think they ARE. I dunno...KH2 might change that. Oh and what story is it that you are working on? Did you post it yet. I've been watching for it...

Kintora:) I do love Sora/Kairi...especially lately. This whole waiting for freaking KH2 is killing me. It's starting to affect my mind...I keep waiting to see the commercial on TV...and when I do I know I'll probably faint. Or just break down in tears and cry for a few hours. Or both. Did you know they moved it! It was supposed to come out in DECEMBER! Now it's January. ARG! I know it's only a month but still...that's a big difference. I'm kinda worried about it though...when Chain of Memories and KH2 comes out... I'm really gonna miss writing about KH1...All the fanfics will be about KH2. Whaa! I hope to God KH2 lives up to KH1. Please don't let the 'the sequel is never better than the original' thing be true...


	6. Mind Games and Rainwater

_A/N: Chapter edited 2/26/05_

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

Something was not right. He could feel it. A little voice in the back of his mind picked at him, telling him to go back, to go home. He kept pushing it away, blaming it on his paranoia. Ti was talking spiritedly about this book she was reading and Kairi was agreeing. Selphie and Tidus were arguing over the better choice on the menu.

"Pancakes are better than eggs." Selphie claimed, jabbing at her plate with her fork for emphasis. Her green eyes were alight with pleasure. She enjoyed 'debating' with Tidus more than anything.

Tidus just looked annoyed. "Where do you get that? Eggs are healthier than pancakes. Think of the sugar and syrup on those diabetes-infested hotcakes!"

"So? Its good!"

"I didn't say it wasn't good, I said it wasn't healthy. I don't know what you're arguing with me about!"

"Oh sure, just blame the argument on me. That's so _like_ you Tidus."

"What do you mean that's so like me! What am I like?" Tidus looked like he wanted to strangle his grinning girlfriend. Riku smirked as he watched the argument continue to boil. They were perfect for each other.

Wakka shared Riku's gaze and voiced his own thoughts. "Made for each other, ya? They'll be makin out in about an hour man, mark my words." Riku didn't doubt it.

"Selphie!" Ti said. "Stop arguing for a second and tell me something. Did he ever get an answer in that Message in a Bottle book? Kairi says you've read it."

"Don't answer that!" Kairi shrieked and glared at Selphie warningly. "She doesn't want to _finish_-" She gave Ti a pointed look. "and she wants to know the ending. Don't ruin it for her!"

"I can always read ahead. So it doesn't matter." Ti announced smugly.

"Antigony!"

"Oh Kairi, lighten up. I'll read it if it means that much to you." Ti looked at the princess of heart in near fear.

Kairi smiled victoriously. "You'll thank me later." She said knowingly.

"Whatever mother." Ti grumbled, shooting her a mock glare. Selphie had checked out of the conversation and was immersed in another subject with Tidus. Even Wakka had taken part in their dispute. Riku was left to his own trouble.

He thought about the way Kei acted after her confession, how she had up and changed her mind about coming with them. How she was obviously lying when she said she needed to stay with the King…she was planning something. He knew she wanted back in Kingdom Hearts and until now…

"Oh sh-" He jumped up with a force that sent his chair back with a loud, echoing thud. The restaurant grew strangely silent and all eyes turned on Riku.

"Something wrong?" Kairi asked quietly, looking at him with wide, confused eyes. Riku felt that there was no time to explain and hurried through the tables toward the exit. He heard the calls of his friends and the sound of running footsteps behind him but didn't pause in his stride. "Riku what in God's name-" Kairi began as soon as she caught up to him.

Riku cut her off with a piercing look and said in a low voice, "Kei is going to open the door again."

z-z-z-z-z-z-z

"You _really_ didn't think this through did you." Myste muttered form her pitiful position on the boat floor.

Sora glanced at his sick friend and replied heartlessly, "Its not my fault you went and got drunk. You knew you'd be hurting this morning, so technically it's your fault for not remembering any sort of medication."

"I was drunk Sora-"

"Exactly."

"_No_, I mean I was drunk, so how was I supposed to remember-" She stopped speaking quickly and put her head on her knees.

"The boat doesn't help much…does it?" Sora asked, much nicer this time. He did feel sorry for her. Myste nodded. Sora looked back out over the ocean. There was no sign of land yet and they'd been on the sea for 8 or 9 hours now. It would probably take even longer to get home. Before they'd left, Myste packed all of her clothes in a trash bag, then put everything that mattered to her in a separate one. Sora gathered the food that he thought they'd need, but he wasn't expecting a really really long trip. Their supply would probably only last a week…and they'd be there by then right? He hoped so. He spared a glance at Myste. "Everything okay?" She shook her head no. "Sit up and breath for a minute." Sora suggested.

"Can't." Her answer was barely heard. Sora wanted to help her but the boat gave a sudden lurch and sent him flying to the ground. He could feel the motor of the boat working wildly, sputtering to continue forward.

"What the…" Sora crawled to the edge of the shuddering vessel and looked over the side. There was nothing there. They were caught on…nothing.

"What happened?" Myste asked from behind him. She looked very pale.

Sora looked at her, then back at the ocean with a mystified expression. In an awed voice he answered. "I think….I think we hit the barriers."

_z-z-z-z-z_

Kairi followed Riku through the streets, nearly running to keep up with his long, purposeful strides. "What do you mean open the door?" She asked.

"I mean, she almost straight out _told_ me she was going to. I can't believe I didn't realize-" He snapped his mouth shut and narrowed his eyes into a murderous glare. "I swear if she does it…"

_z-z-z-z-z-z_

"How did the bottle get through then?" Myste touched the barrier with a shaky hand. Sora reached out to touch it also. It felt cool and smooth, like he was touching a wall made of ice. He watched how the ocean waters divided as they reached the barrier, washing back toward the boat. He'd never seen one up close before. "So what do we do?" Myste looked to Sora for the answers he didn't have.

_z-z-z-z-z-z_

"Kei!" Kairi yelled as she jumped into the water. She waded to shore and continued calling the girl's name without remembering that if Kei was deaf, she wouldn't be able to hear her anyway. Riku abandoned the canoe and let it drift away. Selphie or Tidus would get it back to shore once they caught up.

The beach was empty, no sign of the girl anyway. "Kairi. Go get the King." Riku ordered, already heading for the secret place by the waterfall. Kairi bolted toward Riku's house. Riku jumped over the rock and slid into the entrance without a pause in stride. Wakka had caught up and was calling his name. He ignored him and hurried through the trail. The normally dark, damp cave was filled with a bright, shimmering light. Kei had opened the door.

_z-z-z-z-z-z_

The boat jerked forward, falling to the other side of the barrier. "Whoa!" Myste cried as she fell onto the boat floor with a loud thud. Sora grabbed the back of the blue seat to keep himself from falling in the clear waters.

"It's broken? How'd that happen?" Sora wondered aloud in confusion; his dark blue eyes wandered toward the back of the 50/50. "Something happened…"

_z-z-z-z-z-z_

"What the hell do you think you're doing!" Riku yelled, sliding to a stop. His hands opened and closed around the hilts of his keyblades. He plunged one into an escaped heartless that was struggling to get past him. Kei sensed his presence and looked at him, eyes bright and alive.

"Riku!" She exclaimed.

"What are you doing!" He repeated angrily. She looked through the door into the blackness.

"I'm sorry Riku, it's just what I have to do. Don't interfere-" She held up her hand behind her. A large Wyvern heartless was thrown back into the darkness. "Don't interfere again." She warned as she backed into the doorway.

"Then…go! Go and shut the Door already! You've already caused enough trouble!" Riku yelled as he killed two more escaped heartless. He didn't care Kei wasn't watching him, he could care less if she was listening. He just wanted her gone.

"Yes well, I am sorry. I didn't want to cause any trouble, I just wanted out." Riku's head snapped up. If she…How did she hear…Kei gave him a sly grin. "Tell that Wakka-" She added, pronouncing his name perfectly. "He's cute. Bye Riku. I am sorry." She pulled the door shut as she said this. The shimmering lights faded, leaving Riku in the cold dampness of the secret place.

"Riku! Are you okay?" A worried voice yelled, running into the open area.

"Yeah Kai." Riku answered over his shoulder.

"Is she gone?"

"Yes." The redheaded princess of heart stood by Riku silently, staring at the door. "She was never deaf." Riku mused out loud.

"What? She wasn't?" Kairi looked at him with wide, confused eyes.

"Apparently." He shrugged and let the blades fade away. "And she had a crush on Wakka."

"WAKKA?" Kairi screeched as she followed Riku out to the main island.

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

The sun sparkled on the horizon, painting the sky a beautiful array of blue and pink. Like cotton candy. Calm, soothing, paradise. Kairi closed her eyes, enjoying the misty, evening breeze. The wind teased her hair around her face. She waded into the ocean a little further, rolling up her shorts as she went to keep them from getting wet.

The sand sank beneath her feet, squishing up between her toes. "Don't go too far Kairi. You remember what happened last time you went for a swim?" A deep voice chuckled.

Kairi smiled and answered without turning around, "Yes, but only because _someone_ sneaked up behind me." She heard water splashing behind her and felt the small waves against her legs. Riku stopped next to her and didn't speak until the water calmed.

"You okay?" He asked. Kairi looked at him questioningly.

"Of course." She answered. "Why do you ask?"

He shrugged. "Just a conversation starter. That and you seem preoccupied." He dropped his hand into the water and swished it around. The fish swam away quickly, terrified of the movement. Kairi followed a particularly large one with her eyes.

"Preoccupied." She muttered as though thinking hard. "I do have a lot on my mind." She said after a moment. Riku let the words falter a minute.

"About today?"

Kairi breathed deep and pulled her arms over her chest. The sun was slipping fast, giving its last rays of light almost desperately to the small island. "No. About Sora." She sighed.

"Ah." Riku nodded and cast his gaze toward the now night sky. The stars shone brightly down on the pair, twinkling merrily.

"He's not coming back is he?" Kairi asked bluntly. Riku heard the bitterness masked in her voice. He pressed his lips together thoughtfully. He'd been thinking the same thing lately.

"You don't know that Kai." He answered instead. Kairi snorted in a very unladylike manner and rolled her eyes.

"I'll tell you something if you promise not to laugh."

"I promise." Riku raised his right hand to signal scouts honor.

"Or make fun of me."

"I promise Kai."

"Or give me that sarcastic, half-ass smirk you're famous for."

"Did the purest of heart Princess Kairi just say 'ass'?" Riku gave her that sarcastic smirk she'd spoke of.

"Just promise!"

"Okay okay! I promise!" Kairi gave him a searching stare then told him about her sending of the message. She held nothing back and once she started she found she couldn't stop. The dream, the talks with Selphie and Tidus, even back to when Kingdom Hearts began. It seemed like she'd gone through each emotion in the confession until Riku finally interrupted. "Kai, I hate to break this up, but the cold is staring to get to me. I can't feel my legs…and you're shivering." He smiled. Kairi bit her lip and looked away.

"Sorry." She laughed. As they walked back to shore, Riku sneaked a look at Kairi. He felt strangely empty, but beneath that there was a happiness. Kairi wasn't in love with him, but she _had_ found love in Sora. She deserved him and vice versa. He just wished Sora could have been there for her heartfelt outpour of emotion earlier.

'_C'mon Sora. I know you're out there somewhere_.' He thought as he looked out at the sky. He didn't realize that the friend he was looking for was in the home stretch.

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

"Did you guys ever kiss?" Myste asked. Sora grinned.

"Unless you could that time when we were six and Selphie dared us to. That was when she first came to the islands." He answered as he stared up at the night sky. Myste shifted in her sleeping bag to face the stars too.

"Well hey, it's a kiss right? What was it? Lip or cheek?"

"Myste!" Sora groaned. "I'm a guy. I don't do well with this heart to heart stuff."

"It's a simple question Sor." Myste was laughing. Sora couldn't help but smile.

"It was only cheek."

"Oh boo, I thought you could do better than that!" Myste teased and poked the brunette.

"I was 8, what'd you expect?" Sora justified, pulling himself up on his elbows.

"Some juice man. Details. Love." Myste grinned up at him from the floor. Sora blushed although not entirely sure why and changed the subject.

"What time is it?"

"Nearly one." She answered with a glance at her watch.

"A.M.?" Sora exclaimed. Myste nodded. "We have to go get to sleep." Sora muttered, turning onto his stomach. Myste didn't answer, apparently taking his advice. He burrowed back underneath the sleeping bag and dreamt of kissing Kairi.

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

"Birds…" Myste grumbled into her pillow. Sora yawned, opening his eyes. The birds were chirping cheerfully.

"Birds? Its not even sun up." Sora muttered. He looked around, crawling to his feet. He groaned and stretched, stiff from the uncomfortable night. Despite the lack of sunlight, he could see palm trees and sand. The dock was in plain sight, the four little canoes bobbing in the water. The waterfall...the shack…"Myste! That's Paopu Island!" Sora jumped into the water and waded to shore.

He glanced back to see if Myste had heard him. She was staring around, her hair ratted around her face, still completely asleep. "Wait." She murmured, sitting up. "This is it?"

Sora looked back to his home with childish excitement. He was finally home. "This is it." Kairi would still be asleep, as would the rest of the island inhabitants. He wasn't sure if he should go back to sleep, or jump along the shoreline in ecstasy, or go wake everyone up. He knew he would be able to go back to sleep. That'd be like making a child sleep on Christmas Eve.

If he jumped along the shoreline in ecstasy Myste might think we had lost it and could possibly sedate him. Then again, if he tried to wake everyone up, they might bite his head off. He knew how particularly grouchy Kairi could be. '_I'll risk it_.' He thought. There was a splash behind him.

"Now that we're here, where's your shower. I've to wash this nasty hair." Myste said, dragging herself through the water to reach him. Sora sighed and looked back at the boat. First things first…

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

'Sun up.' Kairi thought as the first ray shone through her bedroom window. The birds were particularly cheery this morning. "What're they so happy about?" She grumbled as she pushed the heavy comforter off her bed. It seemed morning couldn't come fast enough for her. Today was the day they all started planning Riku's surprise party.

As she swung her legs over the side of the bed, she remembered Ti. It was a little too late. "Ow!" Ti moaned, pushing Kairi's bare foot away from her face.

Kairi laughed through her yawn. "Sorry." Ti had sent the night last night due to the restaurant incident. Kairi really didn't mind. Sometimes she welcomed company in her large and often lonely home. "How'd you sleep? Kairi yawned again. She shook her head to clear away the sleepiness. Ti grunted into her mess of blankets. The response sounded close to 'fine'. Kairi had just started to pull on a robe when there was a door slam from downstairs. "Riku?" Kairi opened the door a crack. No answer. "Sel? Tidus?"

There was a loud crash, like the sound of glass breaking and a low curse. Kairi felt her heart start to pound. They would've answered by now…"Riku? Wakka! This isn't funny you know! I…I have a gun…or something." She muttered the last part. Ti was next to her now, looking worried.

"Who do you think it is?"

"I dunno. Here-" Kairi pointed to a wooden sword behind the door. It had been Sora's. "Hand me that."

"You can't be serious."

"Just give it to me!" Ti rolled her eyes but handed it over. "Now you. Take that rain stick over there. If they do anything funny, don't be afraid to hit em." Ti stared at Kairi in amusement.

"You get a sword and I get a _noisemaker_?"

"Its heavy! It'll get our point across." Kairi snapped but she couldn't help smiling a bit.

"What point would that be? Attack me and I'll shake my stick at you?" Ti grumbled but took the thick fake wood anyway. The pair sneaked down the stairs. Another crash was heard, but no shattering sound this time. Fortunately.

"I'll get the living room, you get the kitchen." Kairi whispered and Ti nodded. Kairi could hear the rain stick all the way into the kitchen. The intruder was obviously in the living room. She could hear him moving around and could see his Silhouette from the light from the small window. "Who are you?" She demanded, heading for the lamp.

"Kairi?" The intruder asked. That voice. Kairi dropped the sword and froze, wondering if her ears deceived her. Was that…Sora's voice?

"_Omigod_!" She shrieked, sounding scarily like Selphie.

"What! What is it? Where is he? I'll kill em!" Ti came flying through the doorway, rain stick raised menacingly. All was silent for a few moments as the reality sank in.

The intruder began to laugh. "What the hell is that noise?" He asked, referring to the sound of Ti's weapon. It was still purring away.

"It's a rain stick and who the hell are you!" Ti demanded.

The man continued to chuckle. There was a sudden thump but neither Ti nor the intruder paused. "You…you were going to attack with a rain stick?" He asked.

Ti sensed there was no danger here because she lowered the weapon. "Why didn't you answer our calls then?"

"What calls?"

"The ones we screamed from upstairs. Why didn't you say your name?"

"I didn't hear you- where's Kairi? She was in here…and who are you?" The shadow moved to turn on the light. It flooded the room.

"Sora!"

"Antigony?"

"Kairi!" Ti gasped when she saw her friend lying on the floor, out cold. Sora saw her too. "What'd you do to her?" Ti demanded, dropping by Kairi's side.

"Nothing! She must've fainted." Sora kneeled on the other side of the young woman. "C'mon, lets put her on the couch."

z-z-z-z-z-z

"Its good to have you back Sora." Riku shook hands with the younger brunette. Sora looked at the silver-haired man and yanked him into a bear hug.

"Thanks man." Riku patted his back awkwardly, obviously uncomfortable by the exchange. Sora backed up and cleared his throat. "So." He smiled over at Kairi, who was still out. Ti had rushed to get Riku seconds after she had discovered that Kairi had fainted. She'd been out for nearly 10 minutes now, far longer than anyone should have been. Sora sat on the couch next to her and took her hand. The brunette's eyes went to Riku, then quickly let go of it.

"Riku." He began.

"Sora its fine. She's yours. She's always been yours." Riku said roughly, shrugging his shoulders. Sora still looked at little worried about how Riku felt but turned his gaze back on Kairi. No matter how prepared Riku had been to let her go, he still felt a sharp sting in his chest when he saw Sora's soft expression. He knew then his only, pitiful chance to be with Kairi was gone. But that was okay because they deserved each other. Maybe Riku's special someone would show up soon. Until then he would enjoy the single life.

"What do you think she'll do first when she wakes up?" Ti asked softly, walking over to his side.

"Scream." Riku answered immediately.

"Hmm. Naw she already did that. She'll cry I think." Ti mused.

"Then they'll kiss…"

"And talk all day."

"And tomorrow."

"And be inseparable for the rest of the month." Ti concluded with a smile. Riku paused, string at her almost uncontrollably. She looked at him and he quickly averted his gaze. "Hey…do you wanna go talk?" She asked gently.

Riku hesitated but agreed. Maybe he wouldn't be single for long…

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

There was a noise at the window. A sprinkling of pebbles it sounded like. Kairi stared at the window hard, wondering if she was imagining things. Soon enough there was another shower of sand and rock. Kairi smiled to herself and climbed out of bed. She pulled the window up and leaned out into the cool night air. Sora and Riku stood on the ground, both staring up at her.

"PST! Kairi!" Sora stage-whispered. "Can you come down?"

Kairi pretended to think. "No. I don't think so. The parents will be on my case again!" She called down, grinning. They all knew perfectly well the only adults that made it back to this island were Tidus's parents.

"Pleeeeaaase?" Sora whined. Kairi couldn't say no to his face and gave in. She clumsily crawled down the trellis.

"You've lost your grace dear." Riku teased when she was safely on the ground.

Kairi stuck her tongue out at him. "I haven't done that in forever." She lied.

"That doesn't change the fact that you've grown clumsy." Sora teased.

"Give me a break." Kairi swatted at him playfully. The three headed toward Paopu Island. It felt natural, as though there had never been a near two-year gap in their friendship. They took their usual places, Riku leaning against the tree, Sora leaning back, and Kairi in between them. It was night again, but it felt like it had been a long day.

Sora sat up suddenly. "Trade places with me Riku." He commanded, standing in front of the older teen. Riku gave him a weird look but obeyed. Things aren't the same as they used to be. No reason to pretend they are." Sora said wisely, taking Riku's position. Riku rolled his yes, but hiked his leg up and rested his arm on his knee. His other famous position.

"Maybe, but we don't have to purposely change it." Kairi argued. "Sure its different now but…I dunno. This is kinda nice. The three of us again. My best friend…" She nudged Sora then smiled at Riku. "And my other best friend."

"Oh gee, I feel so loved." A light voice teased from behind. All three heads swiveled in Ti's direction. "Am I interrupting something?" She asked in a much more serious manner.

"Not at all." Kairi scooted over toward Sora, leaving room between her and Riku. Ti shyly took it. Riku didn't acknowledge her, which was strange to Kairi. Sure he was quiet, but he was usually friendly.

"Are you going back tomorrow?" Sora asked to fill the silence.

"Probably. Mim will want me back soon. I swear the old woman will die when I'm gone." Ti shook her head. "Why? You want me gone?" She teased, elbowing Riku.

"Of course not! You're always welcome here." Kairi replied, giggling at Riku's forced expression. Kairi could tell he was trying so hard to stay emotionless. Why? She didn't know.

The three friends plus one spent the rest of the night catching up.

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

"C'mon, we'll be late for our reservations!" Ti yanked on Riku's arm in a pathetic attempt to make him move faster. She hiked up her skirt to keep from stepping on it. The two looked ready for a part, Riku in black slacks and a black button-down shirt. Ti wore a long white peasant skirt, a light pink shirt, and white sandals.

"Can't we enjoy the night? A walk on the town?" Riku purposely slowed down to annoy Ti. He knew there were no 'reservations' but played along anyway. His friends had gone through a lot of trouble to surprise him; he wouldn't ruin it for him.

"Since when do _you_ like that sort of thing? And it's fixing to rain!" Ti rolled her eyes at him. Providence lights lit the way to the restaurant they were heading for, civilians walking and talking along the roads while window-shopping.

"Since its such a nice evening." Riku replied, loitering next to a display of new bathing suits.

"Riku I swear if you don't-" Ti broke into a wide grin. "Oooh." She sighed. "You know?"

Riku smirked. "I know."

"Damn. How'd you find out?"

"C'mon Ti, its my birthday. The reservations, the fact that everyone has mysteriously come up busy, just to name a few." He listed his reasons.

"Well, at least pretend. Please? Pretty please?" Ti begged. "They'll think I slipped and told you." Riku sighed heavily and dramatically agreed. When they reached the restaurant he pulled open the door and let Ti go in first.

"Surprise!" The dark insides cried. Riku put on a shocked expression, trying not to listen to Ti's laughter. He'd crack up too if he wasn't careful.

"Happy birthday man!" Sora approached first, bearing a fake crown. Riku gave it a glance and stepped back.

"That isn't going to happen." He warned. Sora pretended to be upset.

"Aww man. Ruin the fun why don't ya." He complained and handed the crown back to Kairi.

"I'll break that out at _your_ birthday. Then we'll see who's having fun." Riku said. Sora muttered something under his breath. Riku made his rounds, dutifully saying hello to his guests…some of which he didn't know. He thanked them anyway.

When he reached Kairi he gave her a hug. In his ear she whispered, "How long have you known?"

"A few days." He whispered back and she laughed softly.

"Thanks for pretending."

"Anytime." He imperceptibly winked as he let her go. An hour later everyone began trickling out, soon leaving Riku, Sora, Kairi and Ti alone. Selphie and Tidus had sneaked off into the backroom to do God knew what. The four were seated around a large table.

"So where's the Wakster?" Sora asked, looking around the empty room.

"He left with that one chick." Ti replied. "Dark hair and even darker makeup."

"Oh the one with big-"

"Sora!" Kairi interpreted, laughing. "Her name is Lulu." She informed him.

"Lulu or not, she still has enormous-"

"Sora!" Kairi and Ti cracked up. Even Riku had to hide his grin.

"Selphie and Tidus left too…they're in the backroom?" Kairi glanced out the window at the busy street. Nightlife here was busier than day. Sora nodded and leaned back in his chair. He balanced perfectly on two legs.

"Doing something they're too young to do I'm sure." Ti added, watching as Sora fought to stay balanced. "What about that Myste girl?"

"Went home for sleep." Sora answered incoherently.

"I don't doubt it-Sora you are gonna fall!" Kairi said. She flinched as he nearly lost it.

"Nah, I'm good." He muttered in concentration. Kairi rolled her eyes at him.

"Freak."

"Princess."

"I'll push you over."

"You would dare…"

Kairi squinted at him and sighed. "You're right."

"But I would." Riku murmured, watching as the cocky brunette wavered dangerously. He pushed his foot against the leg of the chair and sent Sora to the floor with a loud crash. Ti was in tears she was laughing so hard.

Only Kairi freaked out. "Sora!" She cried, flying to his side. Sora glared at his silver haired friend and got to his feet.

"Not cool!" But he was wearing that cheesy grin anyway. He dusted himself off and put a reassuring hand on Kairi's shoulder. Kairi glared at Riku huffily. "Ah Kai, he didn't do any damage." Sora shrugged it off and up righted his chair.

Ti indicated the napkin dispenser, still giggling. "Thanks." She sighed when Riku handed her a few. Just when they thought she gained control, her eyes drifted to Sora and her laughter started all over again.

"Do you wanna go someplace quiet?" Kairi asked Sora pointedly as she looked at Ti, who was still giggling. Riku knew she didn't mind, she just wanted Sora to herself. Ti gasped out a sorry and excused herself.

"Lets go for a walk hmm?" Sora offered Kairi his hand and she accepted. He led her out of the restaurant, leaving Riku once again all alone. He wasn't alone for long; there was a shrieked and then a jumble of apologies, then Ti came flying into the main room.

"I walked in on Sel and Tidus." She explained when Riku gave her a strange look. He rolled his eyes. "Where'd the other lovebirds go?" Ti sank down into the chair next to him.

"For a walk." Riku answered, drumming his fingers on the table.

"Mmm." Ti murmured. "Did you enjoy your birthday?"

"Yup."

"Too bad you found out ahead of time."

"Yup."

"But you _are_ good at pretending."

"Yup."

"Is there a reason you keep saying yup?"

"Yup." Riku blinked. "Wait…what?" Ti laughed and shook her head at him. He let his guard down momentarily and smiled. The old-fashioned jukebox switched songs, playing a slower love song. Irony. Ti leaned back in her chair crossing her arms over her chest. Riku really didn't know what to say so he just mimicked her.

A few seconds later Ti said, "Can we turn that off?" She indicated to the jukebox. It took less than 10 seconds for Riku to be up and at the box. He switched the record to a much faster song about a guy trying to win back his girl.

"How original." Ti mused.

Riku nodded and smirked. He noticed once again how comfortable he felt with this new friend of his and found that underneath it all…he actually liked it.

_z-z-z-z-z-z-z_

"Its really nice out here." Kairi said quietly, lifting her head to stare at the sky. The clouds blanketed the heavens, masking the stars from view.

"Rain'll start soon." Sora replied, watching his friend openly. He was surprised at how…well…big she'd gotten. He had aged, but he hadn't ever really thought about his friends aging. He still pictured them at 14, Kairi with her short red hair and infectious giggle. Riku still had those handsome but awkward teenage features in his mind. Now his friends were grown, especially Kairi.

"What?" Kairi asked suddenly, putting her hand over her face. "You're staring."

Sora blinked and shook his head. "Your hair is longer…and darker." He said, touching the soft locks. Kairi was grateful for the dark; grateful he couldn't see the blush on her face; grateful he was there at all.

"Stop." She laughed as she pulled out of his touch. He smiled.

"Sorry."

"Well what about you huh? You're so tall! I don't like it. I have to stand on tip-toe to look you in the eye."

"You did last time I saw you too."

"Nuh uh! We were roughly the same height." Kairi argued, reaching up to poke his forehead. He grabbed her wrist and held it firmly. Kairi wondered how his grip was so gently, but so strong. No longer were his hands soft and warm, they had a cool, rough quality achieved by his fighting and his age. She found she liked them better that way. It added to Sora's already overwhelming appeal.

He let her go slowly and smiled down at her teasingly. Kairi stuck her tongue out at him. Childishly she promised never to wash her and again. Sora surprised her immensely with his next question. "What else were we roughly the same with the last time you saw me? Feeling wise. Friends?"

Kairi felt her heart jump. Was he saying they were more than friends…or less? "Well…you didn't happen to catch what I yelled to you? That time we were separated?"

"I kinda heard it…it might have been a sort of…wishful thinking." He dropped that cool Riku-like act and sounded more like the nervous, goofy Sora Kairi loved.

"What do you think I said?" Kari pressed, taking a step closer to him to hear his answer over the rumble of thunder.

"It's fixing to pour." Sora eyed the threateningly dark sky.

"So? Its water. Won't hurt us." Kairi shrugged. It was as though she opened the floodgates herself. Rain poured down on them, immediately plastering their hair and clothes to their bodies. Kairi began to laugh happily, lifting her face and opening her mouth. The rain tasted sweet and pure, just like Destiny Islands rainwater always had.

Sora grabbed her hand and yelled for her to come on. She pulled away. "No! Lets stay!" She yelled over the rush of water.

"You'll be sick!"

"I'll be fine!" She argued, yanking him back to her. "What did you think I said-"

"What?" Sora leaned closer to hear her. Kairi growled and pulled her mouth inches form his ear.

"What did you think I said?" She asked.

He looked at her and leaned forward. "You yelled 'I love you' right?"

Kairi smiled brightly and nodded. Sora felt a sudden rush of feelings: happiness, excitement, relief, even fear. "You love…me?" He couldn't seem to stop grinning. Kairi shook her head, soaked tresses slapping against his chest.

"I DID love you." She yelled, smiling up at him.

Sora's grin faltered. "Oh." He didn't bother masking his disappointment.

Kairi began to laugh. "I'm kidding! Of course I love you!" She said into his ear. "You're so gullible, silly." Sora rolled his eyes and wrapped her in a bear hug.

The rain never slowed.

_z-z-z-z-z-z_

_The End_

Thanks to October Breeze for helping me out with this chapter and the rest of my stories and giving me support and reassurance! Thank you!

_Deplora: I do the same thing with stories, especially when they haven't been updated in a while. I seem to have that problem…Thanks fer the review!_

_JuzlovnSora: THANK YOU for putting me on ur faves and stuff! That always makes me feel so good. And I did read your stories and they are really good! You do so have talent! Hehe I'm a rookie too, we're even. And my chapter names are in Latin…hehe. This chapter name wont be though…_

_KingdomHearts309: Hehe yes I told you there are two of me. Annjirika and Annjirikah. Don't ask me why…I was bored is all. I sorry it took so long for this chapter too!_

_BubbleFairy03: Love your name! Lol, I wanted a freak inspiration but…I only got one for my long-since left on the shelf story 'That's Mister To You'. I know, I meant it came out December 2004, but now it's moved to SPRING of 2005! I AM GOING TO DIE! So not cool!_

_Zilly: Thanks for reviewing! And I dunno why it won't work for you. All you have to do is just put the paragraphs in and it should work…maybe it's the program you write it in. Sorry I can't help much! _

_Khobsessor127: LOL! Thanks so much! _

_Regno Cuore: Kei…well Kei speaks for herself. Heh…THANKS FOR REVIEWING! _

_The Six of Hearts: Actually, I have not finished the game. I'm at the final Ansem thing, but I can't bring myself to actually beat it. I don't want to watch it until KH2 comes out…I dunno. I'm strange. And I spent a MONTH trying to beat Riku in a dress! I know the pain. Sorry I couldn't make Kei and Riku together…I promised that in the beginning and honestly, I didn't like the paring. Yes there was a reason she messed up Wakka's name…hehe cause she thought he was cute of course! She had a crushiiiieeee! Muwhaha. And I did read Wind…very nice! _


	7. Credits and Thank Yous

_A/N: Edited 2/26/05 – _

_  
**Apologies**: _

_There were a lot of typos and stuff in this and I realize that...sorry I'm too lazy to go back to fix them. ((October Breeze: 'gently gentle' Just remember that. LOL!))  
**  
Credits: **_

_The Latin chapter titles were from Firefly Rebirth...I didn't get permission to use her idea but I'm thanking her now._

The boat name was my friend's idea, Thanks muchos fiendie.

Squaresoft and Disney are the creators of Kingdom Hearts obviously.

The book 'Message in a Bottle' is an actual book AND movie I think...I never saw the movie or read the book but I thought the basic idea was cool and stole it to make this story!

Ti, Mim, Ronin, Hiroshi, Etsu, Sage, Myste, Xau, Mrs. Mathieu, Xander, Lynx, and, of course, Kei are mine. Whoo that's a lot of OCs. Thanks for receiving them so well!

I think that's all the credits...I didn't use any songs did I? If I did, they weren't mine.

**Reviewer thank you:**

You guys don't know how much I look forward to reading what you guys say about my story. Even flames. You took the TIME to flame me and that's special. LOL! I hope I don't forget anyone, and if you review after I post this chapter, I appreciate you too!

**Chapter 1:**

KingdomHearts309 

_Somebody_

_Loki _

_Moonflow-Kairi _

_Forever-animetriss _

_Black-Rose72 _

_Daea _

_Katrina-chan _

_Silver-Twilight7 _

_Juzlovnsora _

_Shady-Jane_

**Chapter 2:**

DaggerQuill

**Chapter 3:**

DaggerQuill 

_Saphire Eyes91_

_Black-Rose72_

**Chapter 4**: 

_Kintora _

_Addictedtowriting _

_Kingdomhearts309_

_DaggerQuill _

_Chiyo Yoshihiko_

_Deplora _

_Yutaan_

**Chapter 5**: 

_The six of Hearts _

_Regno Cuore_

_Khobsessor127 _

_Zilly _

_BubbleFairy03_

_KingdomHearts309 _

_Juzlovnsora _

_Deplora_

**Chapter 6**: 

_Deplora _

_Juzlovnsora _

_AeRiSdOnO_

**CHAPTER NAMES**

_Cesso: Linger/Delay _

_Aegrimonia: Mind Troubles _

_Charta: Letter/gift/present _

_Limen: Threshold _

_Confiteor: Confess (confession)  
_

THE END 


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